Hens stop laying eggs in Sancti Spíritus due to a lack of food

Egg production in the province of Sancti Spíritus has reached critical levels, with output reduced to zero for more than a week due to a lack of feed for the hens, who went without food for up to 12 days.

Aliesky Guevara Molina, director of the Poultry Company in that province, explained that the situation is due to a prolonged food shortage that has affected the health and weight of the animals, but it is not responsible for the high prices of eggs in the market.

"During 12 days, the animals went without food, which significantly impaired their productive capacity," Guevara stated in an interview with the newspaper Escambray.

Although production is expected to resume between November 10 and 15, the company has faced ongoing disruptions in food supply throughout the year, leading to the culling of between 45,000 and 50,000 hens.

The food crisis has been a recurring issue in Cuba, where the scarcity of resources for animal feed has led to a decrease in poultry production, as well as in other sectors such as pork. In some provinces like Las Tunas, pig farming nearly disappeared in 2021 due to a lack of feed.

Guevara explained that the situation has changed: "We started the year with a rice-based feed, but conditions have fluctuated. On several occasions, the animals have been without food for days, which has had a direct impact on their health."

Since July, the distribution of 10 eggs per consumer has been halted several times due to supply instability.

Guevara clarified, however, that the Poultry Company is not responsible for the scarcity in the black market, where the prices of cartons of 30 eggs exceed 4,000 pesos.

"Those eggs come from authorized imports to small and medium-sized enterprises and are not part of our production," the director stated, defending himself by saying that the egg shortage in the market is not a result of poor practices within the company, but rather a broader crisis in the country's food system.