Casas de farinha no município de Macaíba/RN: descrição socioeconômica e produtiva das unidades em funcionamento

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a crop that has high socioeconomic importance for local producers, where from this plant it is possible to produce countless products, among them we have cassava flour, which can be defined as the product obtained from cassava roots, from the of the Manihot genus, submitted to an adequate technological process of manufacture and improvement, are the agro-industries for the production of flour, popularly known as “Flour Houses”. From this context, the purpose of the work was to characterize the socioeconomic and productive profile of flour mills in activity in the municipality of Macaíba/RN. The methodology was carried out through participatory research in loco in the Flour Houses in activity in the municipality, during the month of May and June 2023, in which 6 agroindustries for the production of flour are registered in operation, 2 in the Quilombola Community of Capoeiras, 2 in the Community of Félix Lopes, 1 in the district of Traíras and 1 in the Community of Marias. In the respective agroindustries, a questionnaire was applied to the administrators of the units, addressing issues such as the social profile of the person in charge, the physical conditions of the place, on aspects of operationalization and production of the establishments. From this data collection and applied questionnaire, it was possible to identify an artisanal production, with little technology, where knowledge was passed between generations these results are relevant for the different agents of the public sector of Macaíba/RN, in which information was passed on substantial so that agents become aware of the situation in which flour production is found in the municipality and can, in this way, provide assistance so that the activity can develop again and generate income for farmers.