Asia moves the United States as the main market for Bolivian minerals_English_Xinhua

LA PAZ, July 21 (Xinhua) – In the past three years, Asia has supplanted the United States as Bolivia's main export market for minerals, thanks to better conditions and prices.

In 2017, Asia was the destination of 61% of Bolivian mineral exports worth more than 2,300 million dollars, among which stand out zinc, gold, l & # 39; 39, silver, lead, tin and copper. Ministry of Mines and Metallurgy

In the last three years, demand for minerals by the United States has been lower.

In 2015, US purchases reached $ 256 million, without However, in 2016, they totaled $ 81 million and in 2017, $ 59 million.

Up to 2014, on average 40% of Bolivia's mining exports were destined for the United States. In 2012, billing in the United States amounted to $ 1,381 million, exceeding even total miscellaneous product sales in Asia totaling $ 1,090 million and Europe reaching $ 746 million, according to the same source.

For his part, mining badyst and former mines minister Héctor Córdova explained in an interview with Xinhua that the migration of Bolivian ore to the Asian market is mainly due to the best export conditions and prices offered in Asia, for United States and Europe

For the expert, the recovery of mineral prices forces the mining sector to take up the challenge of transcending its conventional extraction scheme at a modern stage, taking care of social impacts and the environment that generates activity

According to Córdova, private mining is still the largest producer of ores in Bolivia with 66 percent of the total, cooperatives with the former minister said that this was mainly due to India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea and China offering better payment terms to Mine Bolivian rivers.

"Three years ago, we were selling gold to Switzerland and the United States, but since last year the destinations have changed, we are exporting almost nothing to These countries are all on the Asian market. "

Minerals were Bolivia's main export products last year and accounted for 47.4% of the total, or $ 7,846 million. .

Bolivian Deputy Minister Mario Flores, Minister of Metallurgical Mining Development, told Xinhua that the mining sector is the fastest growing sector in Bolivia in recent years, due to the rebound in price and context International

. It has moved to the second largest share of natural gas sales and market diversification, mainly in Asia, where demand has increased significantly, unlike the United States, "he said. 39, increase in production and supply of new markets

The deputy minister pointed out that Bolivia was consolidated after Peru and Chile, because of its high production of zinc, lead, of gold, silver, copper and tin

The consolidation of the Asian market is repeated in 2018 in the first quarter agreement with the Ministry of Mines.

From January to March of this year, compared with the same period last year, the value of these exports increased by 24 percent, which responds to the increase in zinc exports, gold, l & # 39; Antimony, lead and tungsten

In the first quarter of 2018, 14 Asian countries asked for 68% of total exports of Bolivian minerals, including the Republic of Korea, India, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates. End

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