On 14 March 2025, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz), hundreds of residents, teachers, and members of the Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee: COMProSC and the Santa Cruz Youth Union: UJC, carried out a demonstration by marching through the main streets of the city towards the premises of the Bolivian State Oil Company (YPFB) demanding fuel supply and the resignation of the company's director. The group spread garbage outside the building as part of their demonstration and demanded solutions against fuel shortage.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

Summary

On March 14, 2025, residents, teachers, and civic groups in Santa Cruz, Bolivia held a peaceful demonstration in front of the headquarters of the state oil company (YPFB) due to fuel supply shortages. The protesters demanded fuel supply restoration and the resignation of the YPFB president, engaging in symbolic acts such as scattering garbage in front of the building. The current risk level is low as there were no direct physical confrontations, but it indicates instability in the fuel supply chain.

Supply-chain impact

• Oil and gas supply instability: YPFB is Bolivia's state oil company, and the occurrence of fuel shortage protests reflects structural problems in the domestic refining and distribution system
• Santa Cruz industrial hub risk: Fuel supply disruptions in Santa Cruz, Bolivia's largest economic city, could have cascading effects on agricultural (soybeans, sugar, etc.) and manufacturing production activities
• Limited alternative procurement options due to landlocked geography: Bolivia is a landlocked country with high fuel import dependency, making it difficult to secure alternative routes when the state enterprise supply chain is disrupted
• Potential spread of social unrest: Fuel is an essential commodity, and if supply shortages persist, there are concerns about protest scale expansion and spread to other regions

Watch points

• YPFB supply normalization status: Need to monitor fuel supply situation improvement in the Santa Cruz region and YPFB response measures announced within the next 1-2 weeks
• Protest spread potential: Track whether fuel shortage issues are nationwide and if similar protests occur in other cities