Kwebanna gets $5.5 million solar dryer room

An indigenous ribbon being cut by Resident Representative of the French Embassy in Guyana Pierre Gate and APA Executive Director Jean La Rose to commission the solar dryer compartment

In order to further aid in their production of cassava flour, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) through a $15 million fund which was gifted them by the French government have procured a solar dryer room for the community of Kwebanna, located in the Moruca sub-district of Barima-Waini, Region One.

The room, which was funded by the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (SFIP) to the tune of $5,579,880, was commissioned last Sunday at the Kwebanna flour factory by members of the APA, the French government, and the community. On display at the commissioning were a number of delicacies and other pastries made from cassava flour including, dhal-puri, pizza, egg-ball, and cassava cheese cake.

During the commissioning ceremony, 67-year-old Fabian France, a community member, and the person who initiated the plan for the factory, explained how the idea came about and how the process of producing the flour works.