FAO invests in developing Caribbean cassava industry

By Michelle Nurse Last updated Nov 27, 2014

Addressing agricultural revitalization and the high food import bill are two of the major challenges facing the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Over the past ten years, the food import bill has doubled to almost US$4 billion, with 11% being spent on just two commodities – corn and wheat. At the same time, land that was previously occupied by the two key export crops in the region – bananas and sugar – has been abandoned or left uncultivated after the loss of markets and downturn in the production of these crops.

There is growing consensus that increased production and utilization of cassava is one of the major ways to make progress on agricultural revitalization and reducing the high food import bill, as a large percentage of these high-cost imported products can be substituted by cassava leading to job creation, foreign exchange savings, improved diets, and the return of under-utilised land to food production.