agriculture

New flour shows promise

In the agricultural region of Azuero, hope for a more prosperous industry is taking root -the production of flour made from tubers and bananas as an alternative to traditional flours from wheat or corn, which have increased in price in recent years.

Martina Pinilla, the national director of agroindustry, said that the Centro de Investigación y Validación La Montuna has trained 424 people interested in adding value to a variety of agricultural products.

People who make products based on flour made of tubers and bananas have seen a great opportunity to make bread, cakes, cookies, puddings and other foods out of this new flour.

Gladis de Alvarado, a member of a group of housewives who operate as a cooperative in the area of Aguadulce, said that a collective of eight women is setting up a small business to make all kinds of flour-based products, only they are not using traditional flour , but flour from tubers and bananas.

"We started with a yam pie, which turned out to be exquisite. Then we prepared empanadas, sweet potatoes biscuits and bread," Alvarado said. "The only problem is, people are not used to the new color of this bread," although the taste leaves nothing to be desired when compared with traditional bread, she said.