Ground-Breaking Cassava Trial In Rio Claro Boosts Yields by 50%
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is celebrating ground-breaking results from a carefully monitored experiment relating to a cassava yield trial held in Rio Claro.
Line Minister Ravi Ratiram applauded the participating research team and the farmer host, Mr. Peter King.
He said this success demonstrates a leap forward for local food production and the expansion of the cassava industry. He praised the dedication of the team in validating solutions that lower production costs and position cassava as a key commercial crop.
The trial was led by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Research Division and the University of the West Indies (UWI).
It yielded 30,000 pounds of cassava — representing a significant improvement over the traditional national average of 20,000 pounds per acre. It was also done without heavy reliance on agrochemical inputs.
