New Delhi: Cuba is currently struggling with economic turmoil and food shortage. Meanwhile, a surprising incident has happened here. Thirty people have been accused of stealing 133 tonnes (1,33,000 kg) of chicken and then selling it. Thieves took meat in 1,660 white boxes from a government facility in the capital Havana and used the sale proceeds to buy refrigerators, laptops, televisions and air conditioners, according to Cuban state TV broadcasts late Friday.
The chicken was to be distributed to citizens through the island’s communist-run ration book system, which was established after Fidel Castro’s revolution 60 years ago. This system provides subsidized food and remains an important component of daily life in Cuba.
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Rigoberto Mustelier, director of COPMAR, the government food distributor, said the amount stolen was equivalent to a month’s ration of chicken for a medium-sized province at current distribution rates. Due to the economic crisis, the quantity of chicken available through the ration book has declined significantly in recent years, leading to shortages of food, fuel and medicines.
Authorities avoided revealing the exact time of the chicken theft, but indicated that it probably happened between midnight and 2 am. They observed temperature fluctuations in the cold storage facility during this time frame, and video surveillance footage showed trucks moving chickens away from the site.
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Tags: Chicken, world news
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 11, 2024, 14:39 IST