Photos

Santa Cruz is the fastest growing city in Bolivia and the powerhouse of the agricultural economy. Each year major fairs give the region's cattle breeders a chance to show the finest of their stock and sell to buyers from Bolivia and neighbouring countries. It was not many years ago that Brasil was the major source for the Nelore breed and Bolivian ranchers had to import. Bolivian cattle breeding is now on the way up and so are exports of semen,embryos and animals. The Nelore was developed in Brasil from the Ongole a breed from India and is a favorite in the tropical parts of South America because of its resistence to biting insects. The heaviest bull in the ExpoCruz fair weighed 1,073 kilos and one of the finest ranches sold more than 200,000 dollars value of product. Ranching in Bolivia has grown from the simple times of the 1950s to a multi million dollar investment in the 21st century.