On 19 March 2025, in Fernandez Alonso (Santa Cruz), a group of transporters and agriculture producers carried out a demonstration by taking control over a toll in the municipality and prevented the collection of tolls, demanding fuel supply and denouncing the lack of fuels is affecting their farming activities. The group argued the collection of tolls would be normalized, once the supply of fuel has been resumed in the region.

Supply Chain Risk Briefing

1. Summary

On March 19, transporters and agricultural producers in Fernandez Alonso, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia occupied toll collection stations in protest of fuel supply shortages. The protesters declared they would refuse toll collection until fuel supply is restored to the region, claiming that fuel shortages are severely impacting agricultural activities.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Agricultural production disruption: Santa Cruz Department is Bolivia's major agricultural region, with concerns over suspension of farm machinery operations and delays in harvesting and transportation due to fuel shortages
• Logistics transportation constraints: Temporary suspension of regional logistics flow due to toll station occupation, potential delays in transportation of agricultural products and other goods
• Fuel supply-chain pressure: If regional fuel supply shortages persist, overall industrial activities including agriculture, manufacturing, and mining are expected to contract
• Regional economic ripple effects: Potential spread of cascading effects of fuel shortages on the overall food supply-chain in an agriculture-centered economic structure

3. Watch points

• Fuel supply normalization timing: Need to track the Bolivian government's announcement of fuel supply measures and actual supply resumption
• Potential protest expansion: Monitoring required for spread of similar protests to other agricultural regions and nationwide ripple effects of toll refusal movements