UN food agency calls for research on tropical root crop

Yahoo News 25 Jul 08;

The UN food agency on Friday called for more research into the tropical root crop cassava as a way of helping poor countries threatened by soaring food and oil prices.

Cassava "has enormous potential," the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement that cited the conclusions of a meeting of experts in the Belgian city of Ghent.

"At present average cassava yields are barely 20 percent of those obtained under optimum conditions."

The scientists called for increased funding for research and development to boost farmers' yields and explore other uses such as the production of biofuels.

Cassava, a staple for nearly one billion people in 105 countries where it provides up to a third of daily calories, is widely grown in tropical Africa, Asia and Latin America.

It is also the cheapest source of starch and used in more than 300 industrial products.

"One promising application is fermentation of the starch to produce ethanol used in biofuel," it said.

FAO warned, however, that policies that encourage a shift to biofuel production should "carefully consider its effects on food production and food security."

Initially hailed as a weapon in the fight against global warming, the tide of public opinion and policy has recently begun to turn against biofuels.

They are now cited by UN agencies, the World Bank and non-government organisations as contributing to higher food prices as farmers rush to cultivate the more profitable crops used for biofuels rather than food.