Arrowroot

Arrowroot is not one interchangeable product. Trade records must separate fresh or dried rhizomes from separated starch, and genuine Maranta arundinacea starch from starches sold under regional arrowroot names or from other botanical sources. A comparable lot needs exact species, origin, rhizome or starch form, native or modified status, intended food or industrial use, extraction and drying process, moisture, ash, microbiological and contaminant results, particle and functional specifications, crop and production dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-13Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$3B

Producing countries tracked

6

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

6

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' official statistics report arrowroot-rhizome production in thousands of pounds: 1,282 in 2016, 1,079 in 2017, 1,093 in 2018, 1,358 in 2019 and 1,479 in 2020. FAO Ecocrop separately records indicative agronomic ranges of 10–35 tonnes of rhizomes per hectare and 2.5–7.5 tonnes of starch per hectare from legacy references. These are dated production and agronomic indicators, not current availability, factory output, lot quality or a live delivered price.

Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production

1282

thousand pounds · 2016

Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production

1079

thousand pounds · 2017

Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production

1093

thousand pounds · 2018

Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production

1358

thousand pounds · 2019

Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production

1479

thousand pounds · 2020

FAO indicative rhizome-yield range

10

metric tonnes per hectare, lower bound; upper bound 35 · legacy agronomic range accessed 2026-09-13

FAO indicative starch-yield range

2.5

metric tonnes per hectare, lower bound; upper bound 7.5 · legacy agronomic range accessed 2026-09-13

Rhizomes, pure starch and substitute starches are different products

Fresh, chilled, frozen or dried high-starch roots and tubers belong to a different commercial form from the separated starch traded as arrowroot flour or powder. India's current FSSAI cereal-products chapter defines arrowroot as separated and purified starch from the rhizomes of Maranta arundinacea or Curcuma angustifolia. European customs explanatory material also shows that the root category called arrowroot can include several botanical sources by origin. Atlas therefore retains product form, botanical source, native or modified status and intended use before comparing specifications or value.

Botanical source and geographical name must travel with the lot

Kew accepts Maranta arundinacea L., native from Mexico to tropical America, and records arrow root and regional names including Bermuda, Seychelles and St Vincent arrowroot. Regional names do not by themselves prove species, geographical origin or purity. A trade record should preserve the scientific name on the source document, declared growing and processing origins, manufacturer, extraction chain, any blending or modification, and supporting certificate or test evidence.

Food-grade processing and quality evidence are lot-specific

The source plant and label are only the start. A food lot needs evidence for extraction, washing, drying and milling controls; moisture and ash; microbiological and contaminant results; foreign starch or adulterant checks; particle size and functional properties where material; allergen and destination compliance; package integrity; production and best-before dates; and lot traceability. Saint Vincent's agriculture ministry reported in April 2024 that phase one of the Orange Hill modernization project was complete while the factory was not yet fully operational, so the announcement is status evidence, not proof of current food-grade output or available inventory.

Dated production and agronomic ranges are not a delivered arrowroot price

Saint Vincent's 2016–2020 rhizome series is historical national production, and FAO Ecocrop's 10–35-tonne rhizome and 2.5–7.5-tonne starch yield ranges are indicative agronomic references. Neither establishes current supply, conversion yield for a named processor, or price. A delivered estimate still needs a defined species and product form, current permitted observations, food or industrial grade, tests, crop and production dates, pack and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Is arrowroot starch the same as arrowroot rhizome?

No. Rhizomes are the harvested root material; arrowroot starch is the separated and purified product obtained through extraction and drying. They have different specifications, processing evidence, tariff treatment and value.

Does the name arrowroot prove the product is Maranta arundinacea?

No. Official food and customs sources show that products called arrowroot may come from more than one botanical source. The lot should state and substantiate its species, origin and processing chain.

What does Saint Vincent's 1,479 figure mean?

It is the official 2020 arrowroot-rhizome production figure in thousands of pounds, equal to 1.479 million pounds. It is historical production, not current factory output, available inventory or a live price.

Which fields make arrowroot starch offers comparable?

Species, origin, native or modified status, intended use, extraction and drying process, moisture, ash, microbiological and contaminant results, authenticity, particle and functional specifications, crop and production dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.

Production of Root Crops, Condiments, Other Crops, 2016 to 2020

Statistical Office, Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Primary official series for Saint Vincent arrowroot-rhizome production in thousands of pounds from 2016 through 2020 · accessed 2026-09-13

Maranta arundinacea L. — Plants of the World Online

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Primary botanical authority for accepted Maranta arundinacea identity, native range, food use and recorded arrowroot common names · accessed 2026-09-13

Food Safety and Standards Regulations — Chapter 2.4 Cereals and Cereal Products, Version 3

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India · Primary current Indian food-standard source defining arrowroot as separated and purified rhizome starch from Maranta arundinacea or Curcuma angustifolia · accessed 2026-09-13

Ecocrop — Maranta arundinacea

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · Official FAO crop profile preserving legacy agronomic ranges for growing period, rhizome yield and starch yield; not a current market series · accessed 2026-09-13

Phase One Of The Arrowroot Modernization Project Completed

Ministry of Agriculture, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Primary government status report dated 2024-04-15: phase one completed and farmers urged to prepare for the factory becoming fully operational; not proof of current output · accessed 2026-09-13

Grading systems

National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.

Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.

Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.

Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.