A 25-year-old medical student has come up with the innovative idea to make breadfruit flour and moringa or saijan powder and through this business venture, he is also assisting Nadi villagers who have been affected by COVID-19.
Qeleloa, Nadi based Shawan Kumar says Grassroots Fiji is just a small family business right now that started last month where they aim to connect farmers to consumers through value added products.
He says they have started with breadfruit flour, moringa or saijan powder, sweet potato flour and dried culinary herbs but hopes to have more products in the future.
Kumar says breadfruit flour is a better alternative to wheat flour as it has better digestible proteins and higher end fibre while according to traditional knowledge, saijan is known to reduce blood sugar level, cholesterol level and is also beneficial for those who are anaemic as it has higher iron content.
He adds that these products can be used in baking and making smoothies and adds that young people do not use these products because these vegetables, especially saijan, is difficult to prepare but it becomes much easier to incorporate it in our meals if it is in a powdered form.
The medical student has highlighted that they are sourcing all raw produce from local villages and in the process are also assisting those who are perhaps the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Kumar adds they have also received assistance from Hawaii based Breadfruit Institute which has agreed to support them by providing them technical knowledge on the conservation, study and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.
He hopes to expand Grassroots Fiji to also manufacture products made from ripe breadfruit as it is not often consumed in Fiji.
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