Philippines: Cassava, food of the future
The crop can also be used as food, fuel and other industrial uses. It has 48 varieties, and contains vitamins and nutrients. It can also be intercropped with some crops such as corn and legumes.
Cassava, being one of the main agricultural crops in the country, contributes well to the Philippine economy with 217,000 Filipino farmers dependent on cassava production.
Damo also said that according to his research, 15M Filipinos are eating cassava during breakfast and snacks instead of rice.
Different uses of Cassava
Also presented during the food congress are the many uses of cassava. It is one of the ingredients for animal compounding; it also used to produce liquor, an alternative raw material to molasses; it can also be used to make glucose, fructose, lactose, substitute for sucrose in making beverages; for medicine, cassava is used to mix with active pharmaceutical materials to make capsules and tablet; the crop can also be used for textile in yarn sizing and material planting; and it is also used in food production, as cassava starch is used for instant noodles, tapioca pearls and seasoning sauce.
In addition, cassava can also be used as livelihood since it can be cooked to many recipes, puto, ginataang cassava, leaves rice with diced cassava, cassava suman, cassava cheese, cassava cake, fries, cupcakes, jolly roll, espasol, nilupak, sweetened cassava with tapioca, pies, chips, candied cassava, polvoron, pinipig cookies and mini bites, among others.
“Cassava is identified under the Department of Agriculture’s Food Stable and Stability Program as an alternative to reduce rice importation in the country,” he added.
As one of the staple crops in the attainment of "Food Staple Sufficiency Plan," the department is promoting cassava for food.
With the resolutions in the recent food congress, Mindanao is urged to enhance production. This is to ensure available and affordable food and even livelihood for all Mindanaoans that will greatly affect peace and development goals of the region being the country's food basket and a major supplier of food and raw materials to Luzon and Visayas.
Source: sunstar.com.ph