BY the end of the year, sections of Barbados agricultural landscape will begin to undergo a significant transformation.
In light of the rising cost of oil and subsequent hikes in the price of animal feed, a concerted effort is on the way to find a home grown solution in the form of cassava, to be used as a substitute for corn, which is also fluctuating in price.
Word of this came from Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society, James Paul, who told the media yesterday that a whopping 3 000 acres of land would be needed to accomplish this long-term goal. However, he noted that by the end of the year, some projects will be off the ground. In the initial instance we are looking to target 20 per cent of the current amount of corn that we bring into the country, into cassava.
We have to have some ingredient that we control here, that we can use. So that we can control at least one aspect of the process. It goes back down to the whole question of food security, he said.
This topic will be high on the agenda of a symposium called The Development of Cassava as a Food and Export Crop and other uses to be held at the Sherbourne Conference Centre today, where the pros and cons of this large-scale endeavour will be thrashed out by experts and other stakeholders.
Paul revealed that there has been an increase in demand in root crops in Barbados and anticipates that the trend will continue. He noted that a promotion programme will be needed to sensitise persons about the benefits of cassava production.
The BAS head cautioned that this is not a straight-forward process since the production of cassava for the purpose of animal feed will not bring in top dollar for farmers.
We have to bring it to a price that makes it worthwhile for them and yet makes it worthwhile in order for them to go into the production of animal feed. That is the challenge and that is what we have to work out. If the price of corn keeps on increasing as it is right now, we still have a problem. He further explained that a mechanisation process for the planting and harvesting of cassava will be needed in order to keep prices down.
Cassava crops are harvested after eight months. At present approximately 1 000 acres are being used to produce cassava in Barbados.
Cassava Boost
Cassava Challenge winners
Several participated in the The Gleaner's Cassava Challenge contest and on Monday the five brought entries to our North Street command center for the . Lorna Gooden, director, social advantage/home economics unit of the Rural Agricultural Development Agency (RADA), Evrol 'Blackie' Christian proprietor of Little Ochi Seafood Restaurant and Barbara Ellington of The Gleaner were the judges.
Rosetta Falconer's ingress was delightful dessert; Ona Gordon entered cassava liveliness; Sharon Edwards a lovable chicken casserole; Shalorna Williams submitted her fragrant cassava unpleasant corn lolly and Pauline Thomas cassava fritters.
Mrs Gooden told the grouping that there is a disagreement between sweet and considerate . The virulent kind is used for making because it has more thickener and a more sticky smoothness. Many people have hesitation, but the easy on the ear category is used to make a number of one-pot meals. When bammy, have to be assiduous not to set a limit other ingredients to overdraw it.
Comments on entries
The melodious cassava cheap cornbread had too much and fell down in its presentation. First-status champ, the pudding was very good in discrimination, presentation and quality, very humid and showed inspiration in the accompaniments also made from cassava.
The were far too oily and too much wheat cover was used with the cassava dredge. It could have done superior with a compulsory agent such as eggs. The spot winner, deep dish is an first-rate one-pot meal, easy to arrange and tasty but its presentation was poor. Placing second , the blow is a very unimaginative idea which the contestant makes at home on Sundays but the proportions have to be consistent and care must be booked to disconnect ginger sediments before helping.
The three winners will accept 100 bounty trees from the Ministry of Agriculture, gift packages from RADA, as well as packages from The Gleaner, Wray and Nephew Limited, Blackwell Gold Rum, Ocean Spray and more.
Cassava prices may be near to peak
PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
Rising supply and a fall in rye prices put heaviness on prices over coming months.
Domestic production of cassava root is anticipated to top 30 million tonnes this year compared with 24-25 million last year, according to Chen Wongboonsin, the president of the Thai Tapioca Association.
However, Mr Chen a main price reduction is not imminent.
"Prices of may ease by the end of the year when production , but I don't believe a sharp drop in prices as ultimatum from the ethanol industry must help funds prices," he said.
Prices of cassava roots have been increasing in the past two years and are now around 1.8-2.0 baht per kg, compared with 2.50-2.70 baht in the first half of the year and 1.8 baht last year.
The Commerce Ministry is surprising to meet with the association next week to decide whether an intervention plot is to help oceanfront up prices.
Thailand's exports of tapioca are also likely drop tight this year. From January to May, the republic 1.8 billion tonnes of tapioca, down from 2.7 zillion in the same period last year, according to Agriculture Ministry data.
High prices have prompted China, the main bazaar for the commodity, to turn to substitute products _ which has cut exports to China this year by 75% year-on-year to only 500,000 tonnes.
The Chinese government, which also carry across controls on commodities to make sure a sure food supply in the run-up to the Olympics, has been encouraging ethanol and rations to use native corn instead of imported tapioca.
However, Thai exports of tapioca are currently fetching of the order of $190 per tonne, up cuttingly from $110 last year. Prices have been strapped higher by strong call in Europe, where buyers have been attracted to tapioca after drought hit other commodities last year.
ASARECA Begins Regional Cassava Mega-Project
New Initiative Builds on C3P Success
Kampala, Uganda | Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA) launched the regional cassava research and development program in the sub-region through a joint work-planning session held in Kampala last week. The planning session was attended by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), joint implementers of the $22.3 million Great Lakes Cassava Initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. National scientists from cassava research programs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania attended as key implementing partners.
The new initiative builds directly on USAID/East Africa’s Crop Crisis Control Project (C3P), funded with support from the Famine Prevention Fund. The three major partners in this cassava "mega-project" (CRS, IITA and ASARECA) will implement activities in collaboration with scientists from national agricultural research institutions and universities in the region. The objective is to work with farmer groups and reach about one million farm households in the sub-region over the next four years. USAID/East Africa supports this effort through its grant to ASARECA.
Over the past few decades, the potential production of the cassava crop has been greatly reduced by the cassava mosaic virus disease as well as the emerging cassava brown streak virus disease. The viruses move quickly through cassava fields, rendering up to 100% of the crop inedible. The main thrust of the ASARECA project is to contain the spread of these two key diseases through research and development initiatives that will develop disease resistant cassava varieties and make them available to farmers.
Activities will focus on the selection of resistant varieties, their multiplication and distribution, and on developing a favorable policy framework that will support and facilitate efforts to commercialize cassava in the region. With an estimated total production of 30 million tons, supporting about 200 million people from the sub-region in some way, cassava is the second most important staple crop in the region after maize. Controlling the spread of the two cassava diseases will help to improve food security and protect livelihoods within the region.
Cassava and Sugarcane
VietNamNet Bridge – Two petrol stations on Thai Thinh and Hoang Quoc Viet streets, Hanoi, have been selected to experimentally sell petrol containing alcohol distilled from cassava and sugarcane as of September 10.
This kind of gas, Ethanol E5, will be sold widely in Hai Phong, Can Tho and HCM City after that. The price of Ethanol E5 is VND16,500/l, VND500/l less than normal gas.
Dr. Le Kim Dien, from the Industrial Chemistry Institute, said Ethanol E5 gas is ethanol alcohol distilled from sugarcane juice, molasses or cereals containing starches, like cassava, mixed with petrol at the ratio of from 1:20 to 1:10.
(Source: SGTT)
News cassava in China Daily
Big cassava root brings crowds to woman's garden
Fu Chunmei has been attracting curious onlookers to her home in Danzhou, Hainan province, ever since she unveiled a cassava that weighs more than 30 kg.
The cassava is 50 cm high and 30 cm wide and appears to be the biggest such plant ever cultivated in Hainan province.
Fu said she planted the cassava in her sugar cane field about a year ago.
The "king of cassava" has attracted not only relatives, friends and neighbors, but also experts in the past few days.
at Nanguo Metropolis Daily(China Daily),
Genie cassava (Singkong Gendruwo), 1 liter equal 9 liter methanol
Surabaya, ITS (Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November) researcher has introduced their innovation about cheap energy source substitution. They named it bioethanol 40 (BE 40). It came from cassava extraction process. Because its efficiency and simple process, it is very easy for many people to use it.
Bioethanol is very easy to be made at home, because the main source ingredients can also be easily found at local market. The best ingredient is cassava, because it contains high carbohydrate. Bioethanol can be made with these ingredients also: walur, oil palm, molasses, koro nut, tofu and etc.
The process starts with peeling the cassava, well pounded and boiled until it becomes porridge. After it reaches room temperature, pour yeast over. This fermentation process produces a liquid, and after 4 -5 days stored, and add some limestone to increase the ethanol to 95 %, the bioethanol is ready to use. If the ethanol is still under 95 %, it can be explode because of Pb. The limestone is the key to cleanse it.
To produce 1 liter of bioethanol, we just need IDR 3.400. The stove doesn’t have a wick and the design was from researcher Fakultas Teknik Mesin ITS. The prototype will mass build with cooperation with Koperasi Manunggal Sejahtera, and each unit is priced IDR 40.000.
Bioethanol is very efficient and cheap, but also proven non sooty. The only disadvantage is its warming time, for instance, if you want to cook instant noodles, the cooking time will add extra 2-3 minutes. There have been 30.000 bioethanol stoves distributed to all around Indonesia, 10.000 in Jakarta and outside Java for the rest. Surabaya is their next destination to distributing the stoves. Local peoples will have some introduction on how to create and how to use the bioethanol.
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