Microsoft Corporation MSFT Founder Bill Gates and Heifer International recently launched a philanthropy project dubbed “Coop Dreams” in which they donate chickens to poor countries. The latest beneficiary was supposed to be Bolivia.
However, the Latin American country seems to have felt some condescendence in the offer.
According to the minister of land and rural development, César Cocarico, Gates “does not know Bolivia’s reality to think we are living 500 years ago, in the middle of the jungle not knowing how to produce… “Respectfully, he should stop talking about Bolivia, and once he knows more, apologize to us,” he added. “He should inform himself that us Bolivians have a lot of production and do not need any gifted chicks in order to live, we have dignity,” Cocarico concluded.
According to Financial Times, since left-wing President Evo Morales took over the position a decade ago, “Bolivia’s economy has tripled in size, and more than 2.6m people have joined the middle class.”
Moreover, the poultry association of Cochabamba assured that the country’s chicken production rose from 146.6 million in 2009 to 193.6 million in 2014, when the average Bolivian ate 35.5 kg (about 78.2 pounds) of chicken meat.
So, it seems like donations aren't exactly needed in this area.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
