In Cuba, rationing also has its rules. Ramón Cano Enríquez has been left without his can of mackerel because according to official records he is registered as a 64 year old person although, in reality, he turned 65 in the past few days. Cuban wineries distribute cans of sardines to senior citizens, a category acquired when they turn 65.
Ramón Cano Enríquez, a Cuban who recently turned 65 years old, was a victim of bureaucracy at the Consumer Registration Office (Oficoda) in Havana, which denied him access to the can of sardines distributed in Cuban warehouses to senior citizens.
According to the law established by the Ministry of Domestic Trade (Mincin), this donation product is not enough for all consumers and it was decided to grant it only to those who are 65 years old or older, as reported by Periódico Cubano. Cano Enríquez meets this requirement according to his date of birth, but in the records of Oficoda he is registered as a person of 64 years old.
The man told his ordeal to the official newspaper Juventud Rebelde, which published the story in its Acknowledgment of Receipt section. Mincin officials explained that the rationing book system is updated only once a year. In fact, the process is done in the month of January and all the consumers are counted by the age they are in that month. Since Cano Enríquez turned 65 in June, his name does not appear among those entitled to a can of sardines.
