T&T wants to use cassava flour to cut food import bill

Trinidad and Tobago is leading the way in a plan to mix large quantities of cassava flour with imported wheat as part of a regional plan to cut back on expensive flour imports and create markets for farmers.

Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath unveiled details of the plan in Grenada Thursday at a meeting of Caricom agriculture ministers in Grenada. Bharath said Jamaica is involved in a similar drive aimed at cutting the region's combined annual food import bill of US$4.

The minister are have agreed that the region must make a concerted effort to lessen its dependence on wheat while at the same time developing root crops.

Bharath said the "cassava" project that Trinidad and Tobago is sharing with its CARICOM partners could soon see baked products containing up to 30 per cent of cassava flour.

He said local farmers already have 300,000 pounds of cassava under cultivation and authorities are discussing with bakeries and other suppliers the idea of reducing imports level.

“We want to put cassava flour into the mix. We are experimenting with the percentage, hoping that we can use up to 30 per cent of bread mixed with cassava” without compromising the product Bharath told reporters.

He explained that fast food restaurants like KFC and Trinidad-based Royal Castle “use vast amounts of Irish potatoes" but authorities want to negotiate purchase contracts with the outlets to include chips made from sweet potatoes and other root crops.

He said it would be ideal if “we can get a small amount of that market” as it would create revenue opportunities for farmers and again lessen the dependence on imported potatoes.

Bharath said Jamaica is also moving a similar programme along and governments are more serious than ever in cutting the food bill to more manageable levels.