Bolivia's fuel shortage deepens economic strain and fuels long queues

A persistent shortage of gasoline and diesel in Bolivia has led to long lines at pumps and is now being cited as a major factor worsening the country's fragile economy. The lack of fuel hampers agricultural planting and harvest transport, slows industrial output, raises logistics costs and pushes food and manufactured‑goods prices higher, widening inflation and hurting households that live on daily wages.

Deputy Ximena Arispe of the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies said the current queues in Oruro are not due to an absence of fuel but to quality‑certification requirements and institutional restructuring affecting YPFB and the National Hydrocarbons Agency. She noted that only three labs are available for fuel testing, causing delays in certifying each tanker. The government expects that certification bottlenecks will be resolved by the end of the week, increasing available volumes and reducing queues. Arispe also warned that fuel smuggling is growing and coordinated efforts are underway to combat it.