KOROR, Palau — The taro flour processing plant, operated by the Bureau of Agriculture’s Taro Seedling Program, has been temporarily shut down due to electrical issues damaging its processing equipment.
Taro and taro corm purchases have been significantly reduced until repairs are complete. During this downtime, the center will only accept a maximum of 200 pounds of taro per week. Noe Yalap and Junior Temong will oversee the taro harvest during this period.
The processing center typically purchases over 1,000 pounds of taro each month from women participating in the Women Taro Seedling Grant Project, an initiative funded by the Asian Development Bank’s COVID-19 Response for Affected Poor and Vulnerable Groups program, with additional support from Japan’s Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific.
This project involves 20 women’s organizations with over 300 members who regularly sell a portion of their taro crops and taro corms to the program.
Taro flour produced by the center is sold locally to restaurants, bakeries, and other establishments that utilize taro-based products.