Cassava Festival set for December 14 in Kwebana

Nov 26, 2019 News

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…ahead of Commissioning of Cassava Flour Factory

The Farmers’ Group along with the Hand-in-Hand Women’s Group in Kwebana Village, Moruca sub-region, Barima/Waini, Region One, successfully concluded a one-week training in preparation for the first ever Cassava Festival scheduled for December 14.

The training which was conducted by Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) Catering Facilitator, Margaret Cornette, saw 50 women participating in the five-day training.
The training targeted members of the two groups in order to creatively experiment with the Cassava Flour before the commissioning of the much-anticipated Cassava Flour Processing Facility.
It will ensure the standardised amount of ingredients (mixture) in preparing several delicious foods to meet local and international standards.
Chairperson of the Women’s Group, Barbara Peters, after the training said, “We had a real good time; we had 50 persons from Monday to Friday because you know we getting ready for the festival on December 14.”
Expressing great excitement, Peters said, “We had things made out of the cassava flour and the cassava meal and the cassava starch. We made starch custard, starch pie, starch muffin, seasoned plantain coated with starch, cassava fruit cake, cassava ginger/cheese sticks, cassava puff, seasoned cassava, cassava surprise, quenchers; so the training was very successful and I’m happy that the turnout was good.”
Leandra France, a participant said, “I was in the Golden Apple Group because they put us in six groups and it was exciting, very interesting. I learnt a lot of things with the cassava flour. It will help us to prepare not only for the local people but for people who will be visiting our community in the future.”
Lorna Wilson from the Pineapple Group said, “I can tell you, we had a very wonderful time with our teacher using the cassava flour and we had a sale at the end and most of the group had sold out.
“So now we waiting on the Cassava Festival and we had to put our hand in a bag and pull out a piece of paper and we will be making that for the festival.”
Speaking about the knowledge imparted by Ms. Cornette, Wilson said, “We really appreciate her and every moment spent with her, we don’t want to lose her.”
Fabian France, who is the Chairman of the Cassava Flour Processing Facility said, “The training was good and it would benefit the ladies. It will also benefit all the nearby villages of Manawarin, Santa Cruz, and Warapoka. They will all benefit big time.”
Cornette, who spent the entire week working along with the women said, “I am very excited for the ladies; it was very interesting and motivational and they worked among themselves and it was good to see maximum participation.”
Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe said, “The farmers are enthusiastic about the cassava flour and wheat flour mixture and we want to ensure the correct mixture that would make excellent bread, cakes and pastries, will be packaged and marketed.”
“Ms. Cornette, who does an excellent job in this area, was sent with a mandate to work with the villagers to come up with the right consistency, come up with the right mixture that can guarantee that when people use it, they can produce delicious meals,” the Minister added.
It was also noted that new and delicious recipes were created and will be unveiled during the commissioning of the facility.
Some 30 farmers are currently planting cassava to supply to the facility. During the launch of the project in March 2018, Minister Garrido-Lowe had said, “Many of us plant cassava but how many of us earn properly from it? So it is time that we balance it off.
We have to get our cassava out there and on the market and get paid for it.”
We will process the cassava flour and mix it with wheat flour; 40% cassava flour and 60% wheat flour and get a mixed product of Cassava Wheat Flour.”
During the launch, Toshao of the village, Paul Pierre, noted, “In Kwebana, we have had our fair share of development happening; we have had tremendous support from the government so far and at this point we would like to thank Minister Lowe, the Government and the Ministry for doing what is best in the interest of us here”.
The one-day Cassava Festival seeks to further highlight the great potential of Kwebana and according to organisers, patrons will enjoy several delicious dishes prepared from by-products of the cassava.
Booths will be set up where local foods, drinks and craft will be on display, in addition to several sporting events among them football, cricket and volleyball.

 

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