Cassava processing facility: Kwebanna inches closer to working factory with $5.5M solar dryer

The Region One (Barima-Waini) community of Kwebanna is now one step closer to realising its goal of becoming a major cassava by-product producer following the intervention of the French Government, which has funded a $5.5 million component to a factory the villagers have been trying to set up for a number of years.
The solar dryer facility is expected to assist farmers in the Moruca District in converting their cassava into flour which can then be used to make a wide range of tasty products.
The dryer forms part of a factory situated at Kwebanna. The factory was established since 2019 but to date, it has not produced.
Several components are still needed to get the facility up and running.
The community had contacted the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) seeking assistance. The body worked with the village in formulating a project document which was subsequently approved and they were given a grant from the French Government.
Work on the dryer room commenced in November.
Kwebanna already has a flour mill but a generator is needed to have it powered. The entire project is about 85 per cent completed, according to Fabian France, who is a member of Kwebanna Arapah Flour Enterprise which oversees the factory.
France is hopeful that when the facility begins operating, the community can produce large amounts of produce for export. Production, he said, could go beyond cassava flour. According to him, the facility has to potential to process ginger, turmeric and other produce.
In 2019, the factory was constructed to the tune of $26 million. Meanwhile, community leaders shared that the current Administration has since assured that provisions will be made for them to get a generator. (Andrew Carmichael)