Namdevco: Boosting demand, cultivation will bring down root crop flour prices

Although root crop flour may cost more, National Marketing Development Corporation chairman Wayne Innis is confident prices can decrease once there is a high demand for it.

“There are lots of moving parts involved in the production of flour from root crops and what drives the process is the demand consumption, once that increases, production will increase which will drive prices down,” Innis said Saturday. Local wheat-based flour prices rose last month with a 2kg (five pound) pack costing $18. In comparison one pound of cassava flour costs $40.

Innis said Namdevco, which has been promoting root crop flour as an alternative to wheat flour, has the resources to mass produce root crops since there are 3,000 registered farmers and the land to carry out cultivation, although there are 20,000 farmers who are not yet registered. Innis said he hopes these farmers register with Namdevco as it can help with the long term goal of offering root crop flour at a lower price than wheat flour and the farmers can have a wider market.

“Becoming a certified farmer with Namdevco guarantees you and the user that the produce is safe as we have our field officers monitoring these farmers on a daily basis. If you have to export your product to the region or internationally being a certified Namdevco farmer makes it a bit easier for you.”

Innis said he isn’t certain why so many farmers are not registered but assures that there are no registration fees.

Namdevco held another root crop flour demonstration for shoppers at the Chaguanas Farmers Wholesale Market, Perseverance Road, Chaguanas on Saturday. The aim of the demonstration is to get people to gravitate towards the alternative flours over wheat and Namdevco did this by showing people how to make cassava and sweet potato flours at home and shared two recipes that used the flours.

CEO Nirmala Debysingh explained that in order to make the flours, the root crop must be thinly sliced before drying the slices. She said these dried slices must be placed in the oven at the lowest baking temperature as it becomes fragile, easier to blend into a powder form and the lack of moisture will result in a longer shelf life.

After making the flour, a chef of the National Schools Dietary Services Ltd showed shoppers how they can make their own cassava sweet bread without incorporating wheat flour. The audience was intrigued and one shopper, who gave her name as Melissa, said the taste wasn’t different in her opinion but wouldn’t buy root crop flour just yet. She said, “I wouldn’t buy it over wheat flour because of the cost but if it becomes reasonable, I’ll use it faster because of the health benefits and the effects it would have on my budget.” Right now, the prices of cassava, sweet potato and pigeon pea flours packaged by Heaven Bliss are $40 per pound while plantain, yam, dasheen and breadfruit flours go for $45 per pound.

Food security has become a priority for the region, as the war in Ukraine has cut off supplies from the world’s leading wheat producers Russia and Ukraine. Last week, Caricom leaders discussed plans to increase cultivation and intra-regional export of food.