General:
India-Bolivia relations have remained cordial, albeit with limited content. Neither country maintains resident diplomatic missions – the Indian Embassy in Lima is concurrently accredited to Bolivia while the Bolivian Mission to the UN in New York is accredited to India. There are two  Honorary Consul Generals of India one in La Paz and one in Santa cruz.

There has been no major bilateral visit. In May 2000, MOS(C&I) met with Bolivian Vice President in Rio de Janeiro on the margins of a Mercosur meeting. From the Bolivian side, Education Minister attended the “Dialogue among civilizations” conference in July 2003 in New Delhi, while the Bolivian Vice Minister for Health participated in the Indo-LAC health summit in Delhi in September 2002. An agreement for holding regular Foreign Office Level Consultations has been signed and the first round was held in 2006.

Bolivia has been supportive to various Indian candidatures to international organisations. While no formal position has been articulated on other issues of Indian interest, there is goodwill for India and no obvious impediment exists with regard to expressing support on issues like terrorism, etc.

Trade & Investment:
Total Indo-Bolivian trade turnover in 2006 amounted to US4 18.42 million, whereas India’s export amounted to US$ 15.85 million. India’s imports during this year amounted to US$ 2.57 million. India’s main exports to Bolivia consist of motorcycles, tyres and tubes, pharmaceuticals, iron & steel products; India’s main imports include natural borates, sheep leather (tanned), precious and semi-precious stones, wool, etc. In September 2005, for the first time, India took part in the annual Santa Cruz Trade fair.

Another important aspect is the presence of large reserves of natural gas in Bolivia, the highest in Latin America. Given the modest domestic demand, there are large surpluses for exports. Natural gas is already being exported to Brazil and Argentina. Indian companies are evaluating the possibility of entering this market through options like equity participation, upstream / downstream operations, supply of equipment, etc.

Mutun Iron Ore Project:
On November 2007, President Morales signed into law a Parliamentary Act on the exploitation of Iron ore – with, 40 billion metric tons of ore, contains the world’s largest iron ore deposits – by the India company Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL). As per the 40 year commercial agreement signed between the Indian firm and the Bolivian government on 18 July 2007, Jindal Steel Bolivia (JSB, a subsidiary of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd.) can mine up to 50% of the Mutun deposits, investing about US 2.1 billion over a period of 8 years. Apart from mining, JSB will also produce around 6 million tons of sponge iron and 1.7 million tons of steel annually, the production of which is expected to begin from 2012.

Line of Credit:
In 2006, GOI has extended a US$ 30 million LOC to Bolivia for purchase of items from India and projects to be extender by Indian companies.

Visa Procedure: (click here)
Bolivia, along with other Andean countries, enjoys duty free access to the US market for various products under the US ATPDEA law. In this regard, the Bolivian Government is keen for Indian investment in areas like textiles / clothing, leather, jewellery, woodwork, etc, in order to utilise this advantage. Bolivian authorities have also expressed their interest in having Indian companies enter Bolivia in the IT sector. Agriculture is a further potential area of cooperation.

Agreements:
While a cultural agreement has been signed, overall cultural interaction is limited. The first ever Indian dance troupe went to Santa Cruz in August 2003.

ITEC:
Bolivia has been allocated 5 slots annually for civilian training under ITEC.

Humanitarian Aid:
In 2007, India has donated medicines worth U$ 200000 as humanitarian aid in wake of the landslides in Bolivia and U$ 100,000 as aid in wake of floods due to La Niña Phenomenon in 2008.

Indian Community:
The Indian community in Bolivia is very small. Around 50 Indians, mainly from Punjab, are living in Bolivia engaged in retail trade, transportation, agriculture etc