With soy planting about to get underway in the fertile lowlands of eastern Bolivia, the Bolivian government has stunned soy producers with a new law that strikes at the heart of the soy-export economy by banning the production, sale and use of genetically modified seeds. The legislation, entitled the Law of Mother Earth and Integral Development to Live Well and signed Oct. 15 by President Evo Morales, is seen by some analysts as an attempt by the president to reposition himself in international forums as an environmental defender. Morales, they suggest, is looking to reestablish green credentials that have been tarnished by major protests here in recent years against highway, mining and oil projects supported by his administration. “We would like to propose a... [Log in to read more]
