Arrowroot farmers to receive support until new factory is completed

The local economy is still feeling the adverse effects of the April 2021 La Soufriere volcanic eruptions-the arrowroot industry being a prime victim.

The eruptions not only crippled arrowroot production by dumping huge amounts of ash on farmers’ lands; it also destroyed the country’s lone starch producing factory located in Owia. And the financial support which the government has been providing to arrowroot farmers is expected to continue until the industry is back on its feet.

Manager of the St. Vincent Arrowroot Association, Selmon Walters told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday, December 3, that the arrowroot industry has been the economic mainstay of the northeastern section of mainland, St Vincent for a number of years.

“…but what we have right now is a downsizing of the industry from what it used to be, let’s say, 30-40 years ago, when the country had sometimes 10 to 15 arrowroot factories…,” Walters explained.

He said the country was eventually left with one factory, the same one destroyed in 2021, so there is no longer anywhere to crush the rhizomes and process it into starch.

“So the farmers are not harvesting rhizome, and the government has been giving farmers annually a percentage of what the sales were in 2020,” Walters explained.

He because of the huge impact arrowroot has on the economy on that side of the main island, the government has been offering arrowroot farmers a percentage of what they sold to the St. Vincent Arrowroot Association in 2020, the last year most farmers had a full yield.

In 2021, only around 50% of the arrowroot that was in the ground was harvested before the eruptions began.

“So 50% remain in the ground until today,” Walters said, adding that farmers who harvested in 2021 before the eruptions, got full payment for their rhizomes but those who did not get to harvest received 75% of the figure they sold in 2020.

“This is adequate compensation that amounted to over EC$800, 000,” given to the estimated 200 farmers.

Walters said this year, there was no harvesting so every farmer got 50% of the 2020 sales, “which again is a significant amount of money for farmers to support them and compensate them for their loss of income.”

That compensation will continue for the next three or so years until the new factory is completed.

Walters said some farmers sold up to 80 thousand pound of rhizome annually “and at a dollar per pound you can realize how much money they would have made”.

“When that income disappeared because of the eruption, you can see the lack of income for the farmers and I think the support the government is giving to farmers is welcomed and they appreciate it very much,” Walters said.

Construction work on the new factory started in 2021 but the eruption halted construction. It is being built with a US$1 million support from the government of India.

Walters said the construction is about to resume and they are looking to have the new factory completed in three years, allowing them to once again crush rhizomes into starch.

He said new machinery, will also have to be purchased as the old equipment is archaic dating back to the early 1970s.

In the meantime, farmers are not sitting idle as they have diversified into crops like plantain and cassava, while some are also rearing animals.

“I am hopeful for the industry, the industry has a future. There is a market for the arrowroot starch not only locally and regionally, but internationally but we need a factory that can pass international standards,” Walters affirmed.