Expert urges Nigerians to exploit cassava value chain

iyebiye olawuyi

April 12, 2017 3:20 PM

In an interview with Arosanyin said that more opportunities are available in the cassava value chain.

___3113664___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___3113664___2014___9___8___18___cassava_farm

Dr Tunde Arosanyin, an agricultural expert, has urged Nigerians to concentrate more on the industrial opportunities of cassava rather than in its consumption as food.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, Arosanyin said that more opportunities are available in the cassava value chain.

“Nigeria consumes about 90 to 95 per cent of our cassava in term of food consumption leaving just between five to eight per cent for industrial use."

“And we convert it to fufu, garri or eba, lafun or elubo, and the rest of them. So we consume majorly over 90 per cent of our outputs."

“Whereas, when we look at cassava production value chain, comparing Nigeria now with Brazil, and Brazil making such a huge income from cassava while Nigeria makes so little."

“In the value addition chain for food, Brazil consumes less than five per cent of its total cassava output in terms of direct food consumption."

“They convert it into molasses for spirits and wines, they extract sugar from it for candy, and then they use the industrial starch for textile and pharmaceutical industry."

“So, the value chain gives them premium price for all cassava because their lives revolve around the value chain. So that accounts for the sharp difference between the incomes because our value addition is still low."

“We need to consume less cassava in food item; we need to do value addition to step up the value addition of cassava.’’

Arosanyin said that Nigeria must step up cassava production from the present 18 to 20 metric tonnes to 40 metric tonnes per hectare.

NAN reports that Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava followed by Brazil.

iyebiye olawuyi