For a more prosperous cassava industry

The declaration just made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) regarding cassava as humanity’s intangible heritage not only has cultural value but also constitutes a plus to the economic value of this cassava product, which should be used to achieve a development of the industry with much higher levels of prosperity.

If, as a country, in addition to the cultural value of the recognition by UNESCO of the knowledge involved in the production of this food, we manage to get the more than 10 million tourists that will visit the country each year to consume, even if only once during their stay, a portion of cassava, and we also ensure that these visitors or a significant part of them positively transmit to their nationals the taste experience that has become the application of traditional practices in this food in Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras and Haiti ... we would be generating an escalation in the production of cassava, we would be generating an escalation in the development of this industry.

The Dominican Republic already has a thriving cassava industry, which exports part of its production. It also has land suitable for cassava cultivation. With that and systematic and well-focused work, this agro-industry is assured of a more promising future.

UNESCO’s declaration should improve the businesses involved in this agroindustry and raise the quality of life of those involved, including agricultural producers and processors.

Other countries have achieved this in foods that have received the same declaration, and the Dominican Republic has the conditions to promote a more prosperous agro-industry, obtaining more significant economic benefits from the patrimonialization of the cuisine.