CLOSE TO a year after Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton prescribed cassava as an antidote to Jamaica's farm crisis, Northern Caribbean University (NCU) researchers have found that some local cassava food products may be unsafe when eaten for extended periods, The Sunday Gleaner reported.

Among the possible long-term effects of overconsumption are blindness and deafness, the researchers suggest.

Data released by graduate student Charles Kofi Koomson and his supervisor, Professor Mark Harris, from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences at the NCU, show that several samples of bammy and undried cassava flour taken from four parishes in Jamaica contained levels of cyanide, which produced toxins significantly higher than the allowable intake per person.

Cyanide is a toxic substance which blocks oxidation in cells, thereby cutting off energy for vital nerve functions.

Last year, the agriculture minister launched a campaign to revive cassava production, announcing that the tuber was one answer to the withering output of Jamaica's farm sector. Cassava was pushed as an alternative to imported rice and wheat as commodities prices on the world and local market skyrocketed. Tufton's claim that cassava was a good source of protein was also rejected by researchers.

Breadfruit alternative

The NCU researchers have recommended that consumers choose an alternative crop, highlighting breadfruit as a better source.

The study revealed that bammies sampled from parishes of St Thomas, Clarendon, Manchester and St James exhibited cyanide levels at least twice the allowable intake of the dry weight of cassava.

Also in the news last week ...

Women at work

Gender inequality in the labour force appears to be narrowing, recent data on the national labour force show.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica shows in its Labour Force 2008 statistics that the employed female labour force increased by 9,700 people, or a mild 1.9 per cent, last October over the previous year, while female unemployment declined by 2,400 people, or 2.9 per cent.

Unemployment, however, is still greatest among women, with figures showing that, of the 134,600 people unemployed up to October 2008 in Jamaica, 81,800 were female.

Easing the burden

Redundant workers and other persons being battered by the harsh economic times might be eligible for a property-tax waiver that would slash a percentage of the sum being demanded by the Government.

Property taxes for the 2009-10 financial year became payable on the first of this month. After April 30, a 10 per cent penalty for late payment may apply.

Property owners who have already paid the tax collectors might have to fork out more if the Government announces an increase in property taxes later this month during the Budget Debate.

The discretionary relief is granted by the finance ministry.

Stopping traffic

The awareness of human trafficking among Jamaicans is expected to increase significantly as People's Action for Community Transformation (PACT) has trained students as peer educators.

The peer educators are expected to carry the anti-trafficking messages and warnings to their friends, families and community members.

Human trafficking, which is referred to as modern-day slavery, occurs when persons, especially women and children, are enticed into being taken or forcefully moved from one part of Jamaica to another, or from one country to another, where they are usually forced to work.

Obama promises much

Obama

A new day in the relationship among the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean dawned on Friday when the Fifth Summit of the Americas began in Trinidad and Tobago.

US President Barack Obama on Friday signalled his intention to start this improved relationship with a declaration of his administration's commitment to "renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere".

More cops

GOVERNMENT IS set to embark on a major recruitment drive for district constables (DCs) this year.

Figures contained in the 2009-2010 Estimates of Expenditure indicate that Government is proposing to spend $2.1 billion on the training of DCs, up from $890 million last year.

Responding to questions from Peter Bunting, the opposition spokesman on national security, about the rationale for the increase, Dwight Nelson, national security minister, said the Government "is on a recruiting programme where we are recruiting over 500 new DCs".