Regional Conference on Cassava in the Caribbean and Latin America

Regional Conference on Cassava in the Caribbean and Latin America

Descripción

The countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have a huge import replacement opportunity for food, flour, feed and beer (and possibly energy) that can be addressed by the development of the cassava industry which already has a production base in almost all of the countries of the region. Recent estimates suggest that the Caribbean currently imports, on an annual basis, nearly 900,000 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat for flour and 420,000 MT of corn (mainly for poultry feed). Furthermore, regiona l beer industry imports nearly 100,000 tons of malt annually and has already tested and accepted as possible the utilization of locally-produced cassava in its beer production. To address these demands, it is essential to develop the entire value chain, from production and yields to processing and marketing technologies. The Food and Agricultural Organization’s Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean (FAO-SLC) in partnership with key regional and national agencies, is therefore seeking to assist i n the development of a regional plan and strategy for the cassava industry.