Cuba’s government has for the first time asked the UN’s food programme for help as food shortages on the Communist-run island worsen.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had received an unprecedented official request from the Cuban government for help providing powdered milk to children under seven years of age.
The request is a sign of the seriousness of Cuba’s economic crisis.
As well as a shortage of milk, fuel and medicines are also running low.
The WFP confirmed to Spanish news agency Efe that it been approached by the Cuban government to “continue the monthly delivery of 1kg [35oz] of milk for girls and boys under the age of seven throughout the country”.
The WFP said it had already started delivering milk powder to the island.
Powdered milk and other basic foods are provided to Cubans at a subsidised price through ration books, but delays and lack of supplies are common, especially at times of economic hardship.
The system was first introduced in 1962 by Cuban leader Fidel Castro after the United States imposed sanctions on the island, which exacerbated shortages.
Credit: bbc.com
