By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica says it is placing an increased emphasis on the cultivation of cassava.

That’s already starting to take root thanks to a planned partnership with beer producer Red Stripe.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has already partnered with Red Stripe to move toward using cassava for hops in beer, according to Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke.

“Red Stripe says they want cassava to substitute for the hops that they put in their beers…so we soon will be drinking cassava,” he said. “We are trying to work out the pricing arrangement to enable us to get our farmers into production.”

The country is looking for ways to promote the use of cassava by the local population in Jamaica, something that has been an uphill battle, Clarke said.

“I want to commit the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Ministry of Agriculture to do whatever we can in making that move go forward with urgency,” Clarke said.

The move is part of a wider effort — one that is being undertaken across the region — to promote food security, he said.