Eastern St Thomas farmers seek fortune in cassava

Farmers in eastern St Thomas are looking to make record-breaking strides in the cultivation of cassava.

Nigel Levy, who has a plot in the Plantain Garden River Agro-Park, said that the farmers have turned to cassava as a steady crop that is proving to be quite rewarding economically.

"Over the years, we always struggle at Christmas time. I used to just centralise my operations around pepper, pumpkin, onions, and for years I struggled; every Christmas I was broke," he said.

"I [decided] then to plant some cassava, as it will weather the storm. It is affected [by the weather] but not much. You may lose some, like 10 per cent based on water and some will rot but you can be sure of it. So, we try to implore fellow farmers around us [to plant] based on our experience," Levy added.

The roughly 40 farmers who operate at the 200-acre Plantain Garden River Agro-Park, want to form an association, and acquire former sugar lands to increase acreages of the crop under cultivation. During the recent Christmas season, more than 50 acres of the crops were being reaped in the area.

For 2024, the farmers are eyeing between 200 and 300 acres of cassava in production within the Plantain Garden River plate. The aim is to create an industry for the crop in that part of St Thomas.

"Yallahs, right now, is the main producer for onions in the Caribbean, so what we are establishing now is ... we are looking at crops that we think can do well, and that's why we are encouraging and building a cassava industry because we know the crop can do well out here," Levy said. Currently, the cassava farmers supply large and small exporters with the crop, the bulk of which is used to make chips or bammy. Some of their buyers include Rainforest Caribbean and Twickenham Industries.

Extension Officer at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority Shantel Halliday said that the state agency is fully supportive of the ambitions of the farmers and is helping to drive plans to make cassava king in the area. This includes providing a one-acre land subsidy to the farmers and operational assistance such as ploughing or bedding.