The Cuban people aren’t the only ones going hungry on the island. Food shortages caused by 65 years of socialism’s the catastrophic failures are causing farm animals to go hungry as well. For instance, a shortage of chickenfeed has resulted in a massive drop of as much as 98% in egg production.
Via Periodico Cubano (my translation):
Authorities at Cuba’s Poultry Basic Business Unit (UEB) point to poor nutrition of hens as the primary cause for a dramatic 98% drop in egg production.
According to Frank Páez Martínez, a manager in the poultry sector in Isla de la Juventud, hens in the region have gone from producing 42,000 eggs per day to just 1,000. Currently, the animals are receiving only 50% of the food they had available last May, and the nutritional composition is of lower quality. The direct consequence is a decrease in egg production, which now doesn’t even reach one egg per capita.
Cuba imports the feed used for hen food. Due to lack of funding, this product has been unavailable in the state agriculture system for months. “Hens require a specific feed that includes corn, wheat, soy, and other ingredients that Cuba needs to purchase abroad,” explained Páez.
While this may seem unprecedented to some, this is the typical result of socialism. Cuba, a once prosperous and self-sufficient capitalist nation, has become an island where only the communist elite get to eat. This is socialism in action.