- Market access remains a major barrier for sustainable agriculture.
- Telarasa transforms cassava into modified cassava flour (MOCAF)
- The company sees growing regional opportunities for MOCAF in markets like Singapore
In Siak, Riau Province, Indonesia, local households have grown cassava for generations on a small scale, yet poor market access has left much of the crop’s economic potential untapped.
According to Wibowo Nugroho, founder of Telarasa, cassava farmers often struggled to find consistent buyers, sometimes leaving harvests unsold.
Speaking to AgNavigator, Nugroho highlighted this as a challenge frequently overlooked in discussions about sustainable agriculture.
“So many independent farmers are already taking care of their land through natural, sustainable practices, yet their hard work often fails to deliver strong economic results simply because they lack market connections.”
Nugroho added: “Empowering smallholder farmers with downstream innovation and pathways to international markets is how we can truly transform sustainable agriculture into a prosperous lifestyle for rural communities.”
Telarasa was established to bridge that gap by transforming locally grown cassava into higher-value products, particularly modified cassava flour (MOCAF), a gluten-free flour alternative derived from fermented cassava.
Rather than selling cassava solely as a raw commodity, the company processes it into MOCAF, which it believes offers greater commercial potential and access to growing health and wellness markets.
While the business remains in the early stages of expansion, consistent demand is already helping create a more stable income stream compared with the unpredictable sales channels many farmers previously relied on.
“As demand for cassava-based products such as MOCAF continues to grow, Telarasa has been able to provide local growers with a relatively reliable offtaker for their harvest,” said Nugroho.
More awareness needed
However, MOCAF remains relatively unfamiliar to many consumers in the local market, while farmers and rural communities are still learning about its commercial potential.
This has proven to be a considerable challenge for Telarasa and its community of farmers.
“Our main focus right now is overcoming a general lack of awareness, as MOCAF is still a relatively new concept for many people in our local region. Many consumers are simply not yet familiar with its health benefits or how to use it, while at the same time, local communities and farmers are still learning about its economic and agricultural potential,” said Nugroho.
To overcome this, Telarasa has focused on educating both producers and consumers, promoting cassava as a viable agricultural commodity while also positioning MOCAF as a versatile gluten-free ingredient.
Nugroho sees further opportunities as demand for specialty and gluten-free products continues to expand beyond Indonesia.
“As global awareness around health and wellness accelerates, the market readiness for MOCAF has never been higher,” said Nugroho.
“There is a remarkable alignment between what we build at Telarasa and what conscious consumers are looking for today. We see strong opportunities to partner with food producers, retail networks, and buyers who value sustainable raw materials and ethically sourced ingredients.”
Singapore was identified as a potential growth market and Telarasa is actively seeking distribution and manufacturing partners to help scale production and expand market reach.
“In markets like Singapore, the appetite for specialty and gluten-free foods is growing rapidly, making it the perfect time for high-quality cassava products from Indonesia to enter the regional space.”
An exciting future
Currently, Nugroho said Telarasa was at “a pivotal stage” and its primary focus was scaling up.
Yet, he maintained that sustainability could not be separated from commercial success.
“Success for us is defined by the lasting strength of the community we build. We want to create an inclusive cassava ecosystem where local growers are empowered with direct market access, rural families enjoy sustainable economic benefits, and environmental stewardship continues to guide every step of our expansion.”
The company’s long-term ambition is to work with a much larger network of growers, supply several tonnes of cassava products each month and expand into domestic and international markets.
“Ultimately, our goal is to bring Telarasa onto store shelves across the country and into key international markets like Singapore, ensuring that the hard work of our local farmers creates a meaningful impact worldwide. This will show that environmental stewardship can prosper and create economic value to support a restorative economy across nations and regions.”
