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Commodities > Fruits, Nuts and Oils Cassava [ Background Information ] [ Research Initiative ] [ News ] [ Related Links ] Cassava, also called Manioc, Mandioc, or Yuca, is the staple food of around 500 million people. It tolerates drought and low fertility and is primarily grown and eaten by small-scale farmers in areas with poor soils or unfavourable climates. It requires minimal fertilizer, pesticides and water. Also, because cassava can be harvested anytime from 8 to 24 months after planting, it can be left in the ground as a safeguard against unexpected food shortages. Its starchy roots produce more calories per unit of land than any other crop in the world, except perhaps sugar cane. The leaves of the plants provide vitamins and proteins when eaten as a a vegetable - a common practice in Africa. The leaves are often fed to livestock too. A cyanide-producing sugar derivative occurs in varying amounts in most varieties.
Primitive peoples developed a complex refining system to remove the poison
by grating, pressing, and heating the tubers. The poison (hydrocyanic acid)
has been used for darts and arrows. All the approximately 160 species of the genus Manihot are sun-loving natives of tropical America. Ceará rubber is produced from M. glaziovii, from northeastern Brazil. Food items such as the gelatinous fufu of West Africa and the bami mush of Jamaica come from cassava. Additional cassava products include an alcoholic beverage made by Indians in South America, the powdery casabe cakes of Yucatán, and tapioca, the only cassava product on northern markets. This strange looking tropical crop originated in Central America and was taken to West Africa in the sixteenth century. The Spanish also introduced it to the Philippines and it is now grown in large areas of Africa, Asia and Central America. It can be processed into different forms for a wide variety of end uses, and much of this processing can be carried out locally, providing jobs and income in rural areas. The cultivated roots are turned into cassava flour, breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and even an alcoholic beverage can be derived. Uses Once harvested, cassava deteriorates quickly, so it must be eaten or processed quickly. Although some varieties can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes, many contain high levels of cyanogenic glucosides that must be removed before they can be eaten. The toxins are typically removed from these bitter varieties by peeling and grating the root to make a pulp that is then left to ferment slightly before being pressed, dried and roasted. In West Africa, this processed cassava meal is known gari which accounts for 70 percent of Nigeria's total cassava consumption. In other parts of Africa, the fermented cassava pulp is pounded into a paste, known as foo- foo. Cassava can also be made into food products, such as tapioca, used as animal feed, and processed into starch. Many of the 'crisps' bought in Africa are made from cassava. Cassava leaves are used in baby food, the leaves are dried, ground into flour and used as a cheap source of protein. Africans eat a wide variety of foods made from cassava each day. For example, 100% cassava flour can be produced for making bread. Even foreign white bread made from wheat flour can have 20% substituted for cassava flour to reduce the cost of wheat imports. Nigeria imports about 1m tonnes of wheat annually, worth about $200m. However, cassava has its problems. It is full of carbohydrate but nothing much else. Since it contains very little protein, people need to eat something in addition to it to ensure they get a balance of protein, vitamins and minerals. Tapioca Tapioca is a preparation of cassava-root starch used as a food, in bread or as a thickening agent in liquid foods, notably puddings but also soups and juicy pies. In processing, heat ruptures the starch grains, converting them to small, irregular masses that are further baked into flake tapioca. A pellet form, known as pearl tapioca, is made by forcing the moist starch through sieves. Granulated tapioca, marketed in various-sized grains and sometimes called “manioca,” is produced by grinding flake tapioca. When cooked, tapioca swells into a pale, translucent jelly. The IITA, founded in 1967 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations in the US, spearheaded the development of cassava in Nigeria and several other parts of Africa and can take much of the credit for the success of the crop today. Cassava breeding by the institute began in 1971. Its scientists and breeders stepped up research into the diseases and pests that had retarded its output. IITA began the successful Collaborative Study on Cassava in Africa (Cosca) in 1989. The study is also funded by the Rockefeller foundation with six participating African countries - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Uganda. The aim of the study is to collect authoritative information on Africa's cassava production systems, processing methods, market prospects and consumption patterns and to establish the relevance of cassava research by national and international agricultural research centres. In 1971 IITA discovered that cassava breeding, yields in Nigeria were being seriously affected by the Mosaic disease which had also devastated the crop in other African countries. Another disease, Cassava blight, almost wiped out the Nigerian crop and insects like the mealybug, grasshoppers and mites had also taken their toll. All this has now, however, been brought under control. IITA has developed improved high-yield varieties which farmers in several African countries now plant and the continent accounts for more than 50% of world cassava output. By 2020, Africa is set to produce nearly 160m tonnes - double the output of Latin America and Asia which should only see a modest increase in production. As a result of sustained efforts since 1989, Nigeria has become the world's largest cassava producer with an output of about 32m tonnes a year. It has maintained this lead because its farmers have widely adopted the high-yielding variety produced by IITA and because the country has a lot of land and manpower for agriculture. Nigeria's cassava production is followed by Brazil and Thailand, with about 25m tonnes and 20m tonnes a year respectively. However, Asian farmers in Thailand are leading in the supply of cassava on the international market. Ghana National Board promotes Cassava - 29/10/04 The Ghanaian National Board for Small Scale Industries is launching
a project to promote the cassava processing industry. Current cassava production
totals 10 million tons/year with a surplus of 3.5 million tons. The project
is designed to process cassava to make starch syrup, flour, and bakery products. Panel For Cassava Export Set Up By President Obasanjo
- 17/03/04 Championing the cause of
cassava - FAO
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