Bolsonaro government bought chicken necks for R$260 a kilo from natives; the value is 24 times higher than the average

Ívina Garcia – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Without bidding, the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) bought for R$ 260 a kilo of chicken necks to distribute to indigenous people of the Madeira River, in Amazonas. The price is 24 times higher than the average price of the product in previous contracts with the federal government, which was R$10.70 per kilo. According to indigenous people in the region, the packages of chicken necks never arrived.

The information published exclusively by Estadão on Tuesday, 16, revealed other expenses of the Bolsonaro government with regional coordinations in the Amazon. In addition to this purchase, the regional coordination of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), in Rio de Madeira (AM), also purchased more than a ton of charque, maminha, coxão duro, alcatra and cans of ham that were never distributed among village families at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read also: Bolsonaro government bought 19 tons of beef never delivered to Vale do Javari

The products were destined for the Mura indigenous people and employees of Funai who were on mission in Manicoré, 331 kilometers from the capital Manaus but the product never reached its destination. The total amount spent on the purchase of the meat reached R$ 927.5 thousand, between 2020 and 2022. Of this amount, 5.2 thousand were spent to purchase 20 kilos of neck meat.

Chicken necks

The amount spent with chicken necks would have been enough to buy half a ton of the same product if the federal government had kept to the R$ 10 per kilo amount paid in previous contracts. The current command of Funai and the previous administration, responsible for the acquisition of the products, have not taken a position on the purchase.

The report is part of a series of investigations by Estadão, which also revealed the purchase of 19 tons of beef never delivered to the indigenous people of Vale do Javari and the spending of R$ 4.4 million to buy sardines and sausages from the Yanomami, even after technical advice and warnings from the Public Ministry that these foods were not appropriate for the people of the region.

Read the full articles:

Bolsonaro government paid R$ 260 per kilo of chicken necks for indigenous people in the Amazon

Bolsonaro government bought 19 tons of beef never delivered to indigenous people in the Amazon

Bolsonaro government ignores Yanomami habits and spends R$ 4.4 million on sardines and sausages

(*) With information from Estadão