Flour Power – Nigeria

Small farmers in Nigeria have grown cassava as a staple food for hundreds of years, and now the country is the world’s biggest producer. But industrial processing of cassava in Africa is still limited. The full range of possibilities for this versatile crop is currently being explored and demand for it is soaring. At the same time, disease resistant varieties are boosting productivity, giving farmers a chance to generate much-needed income.

Cassava
Originating in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and South America, cassava arrived on the west coast of Africa at the end of the sixteenth century and then spread inland across the continent.

Cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, is a perennial woody shrub with an edible root. It has several advantages as a crop:
· It can grow on marginal lands where cereals and other crops do not grow well.
· It can tolerate drought.
· It can grow in low-nutrient soils.
· The roots can remain in the ground for up to 24 months (some varieties last up to 36 months), so harvest can be delayed until market, processing or other conditions are favourable.

Cassava growing in the field. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

In Africa, cassava is used mostly for human consumption. It is a daily source of dietary energy, providing more than half of food calories for over 200 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The roots are processed into a wide variety of granules, pastes and flours, or consumed freshly boiled. In most of the cassava-growing countries in Africa the leaves are also consumed as a green vegetable, which provides protein and vitamins A and B.

Gari frying. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

In Nigeria, cassava is traditionally powdered and heated with water to make Fufu, or mashed, sieved and fried to make Gari. There are two types of cassava flour: fermented (Lafun) and non-fermented (high quality cassava flour). The fermented flour is consumed directly in foods such as Fufu, while unfermented flour is used in bakeries and for confectionery.

Cassava starch is mostly used as an industrial product, although in some states of Nigeria, particularly Delta and Edo, it is traditionally used in Gari and Fufu. In Asia and parts of Latin America cassava has various industrial uses, particularly as an inexpensive source of starch that can be used in the production of paper and textiles. It is also used commercially for the production of animal feed and as food flavouring.

Bags of cassava starch. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

Growing Cassava
Cassava is mostly grown on small farms to provide a cash income, but diseases such as Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) have decimated crops in the past. It is also attacked by a variety of pests – the cassava green mite, the cassava mealybug, and the variegated grasshopper. Pests and diseases, together with poor cultural practices, combine to cause yield losses that could be as high as 50 per cent in Africa.

Cassava on display at the Ondo Farmers’ Festival. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

The production of cassava is dependent on a supply of good quality stem cuttings, but this is a slow method of multiplication. In addition, cassava stem cuttings are bulky and highly perishable as they dry up within a few days.

Cassava requires considerable labour to harvest, and as the roots deteriorate quickly they must be processed into a storable form soon after harvest. Processing is important, as many cassava varieties contain a cyanide compound and inadequate processing can lead to chronic toxicity. Various processing methods, such as grating, sun-drying, and fermenting, are used to reduce the cyanide content.

Based in Nigeria, The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) plays a leading role in the East African Root Crop Research Network (EARRNET) and the South African Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET). These networks aim to improve cassava production and increase food security in Africa. IITA has been developing improved cassava varieties that are disease and pest resistant, low in cyanide, drought resistant, early maturing, and high yielding.

Women peeling cassava. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

The Pre-emptive Management of Cassava Mosaic Disease Project began in July 2003, after reports of the emergence of a devastating new virus affecting cassava in Uganda. The new virus, known as EACMV-Ug2, had caused a cassava mosaic disease epidemic in Uganda, resulting in the total loss of crops. There were concerns that strains of existing viruses prevalent in Nigeria – African mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African mosaic virus (EACMV) – could recombine to form the EACMV-Ug2. Fortunately, scientists at IITA had already successfully bred cassava cultivars with durable resistance to the new form of the disease and their deployment in Uganda was a huge success. However, to address the threat of an outbreak of CMD, the Nigerian government and states endorsed a joint project that aimed to halt the spread of the disease by introducing resistant cultivars in the south-south and south-east zones of Nigeria which were most likely to be infected.

IITA biotech research laboratory. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

IITA has also developed a biological control programme to solve pest problems using natural and environmentally friendly methods. Its work has contributed to the successful bio-control of the cassava mealybug and cassava green mite. Through the introduction of natural enemies there has been a 95 per cent reduction in cassava mealybug damage and a 50 per cent reduction in damage caused by the cassava green mite.

To overcome cassava's low multiplication rate, IITA has developed a technique making 2-node cuttings or ministakes that can produce 50 plants from each parent cassava instead of 10 stakes as before. These ministakes are easily moved and protected in plastic sacks until they can be grown on and hardened in individual plastic bags or nursery beds before being planted in the field.

Today, 60 per cent of the area cropped with cassava in Nigeria is planted with improved varieties, enabling Nigeria to become the world leader in cassava production. The benefits of IITA-improved varieties have spread to most cassava-growing countries in Africa. However, trials are continuing to test 40 new varieties of cassava, with the aim of replacing improved varieties that are not resistant to cassava mosaic disease. For each state, the top 10 varieties have been selected that give high yields and quality. Nationally five varieties have been released in Nigeria and they are rapidly being distributed for cultivation. IITA makes use of the Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria which was formed as a distribution channel. These growers now get an income from their ‘seed business’.

Importance of Cassava Processing
With increasing yields it was necessary to ensure that cassava markets were expanded to make it a profitable crop. Cassava flour is now being blended with wheat flour to produce bread, cakes and pastry. In 2002, the President of Nigeria announced an initiative to use cassava as a foreign revenue earner, and recently the government passed a law that all bread must be made with 10 per cent cassava flour, saving 40 million dollars in annual wheat imports, making bread cheaper, and boosting demand for cassava flour.

While simple in principle, the manufacture of good cassava flour requires great care. Cassava tubers consist of 60 to 70 per cent water and have a shelf-life of two to three days. It is therefore vital that the tubers, if not eaten fresh, are processed within the shortest time possible. As soon as the roots have been dug up, they begin to deteriorate, affecting the quality of the end product. There needs to be a well-organised supply of roots within a relatively short distance of the processing plant and well-defined processing stages to minimise delays.

IITA encourages entrepreneurs to closely integrate their processing unit so that local farms can supply at least 75 per cent of their factory’s needs. The units are best set up within villages that produce cassava, partly to reduce transportation costs, but also it helps to establish a good clustering point where farmers can be lent implements, receive information and supply the factory with raw material. It is recommended that factory capacity should be no more than 50t/day because any higher capacity runs the risks of supply problems. IITA has helped in the establishment of 49 micro factories (1t/day) and 4 small to medium factories (6t/day) in south-south and south-east zones. More are still being constructed by the project and private entrepreneurs are joining in. These factories are privately managed by local entrepreneurs, not run by the government.

A small cassava flour factory. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

Machines are an essential part of commercialisation. IITA formed the Cassava Equipment Fabrication Association of Nigeria to bring together experts in cassava processing machines. Through this association IITA organised meetings of engineers to assess existing cassava processing equipment and evaluated new equipment such as cassava harvesters, washing machines, peeling machines, graters, chippers, presses, millers, centrifuges, pelletisers, stem cutters, flash driers, and solar driers. Working together they have developed effective equipment, such as a simple machine that helps women sieve the mashed cassava ready to be dry-fried on a wood-fired hotplate to mass-produce Gari. These machines have reduced cassava’s processing time and labour by more than 50 per cent. All the equipment being used is made in Nigeria, again providing a valuable source of income for the manufacturers.

Training and Information
A complementary project, the Cassava Enterprise Development Project (CEDP), has focused on the expansion of post-harvest processing and marketing outlets. Together CMD and CEDP make up the Integrated Cassava Project (ICP). Training has been undertaken to teach farmers, processors, and small and medium-scale investors how to run cassava businesses. Business plans are provided for different scales of investors, and entrepreneurs are linked to different sources of credit.

When processing is done in rural areas, using methods developed at IITA, value can be added to cassava, bringing much-needed cash into remote villages. Through IITA’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Center (ESARC) post-harvest research activities are being developed that aim to stimulate demand for cassava by improving existing markets, and developing new markets and commercial opportunities.

There is now greater awareness of the potential of cassava as an industrial crop, and a livestock and food crop. The refined starch can be used in the pharmaceutical, food and textile industries. New food products have been developed such as snack foods which were not well known in Nigeria until the project started. A great array of food products can be made from 100 per cent cassava flour. IITA led a tour through 28 states to make people more aware how cassava could be processed and used. They continue to promote cassava at conferences, workshops and exhibitions. Each week the project collects prices of 21 commodities from 70 markets in 30 states. This data forms the basis for a market information service that enables people to get the best prices for their produce. The information is published every week in newspapers, in broadcasts on national television and through the website: www.cassavabiz.org

Various cassava food products. Credit: Richardson Okechukwu, IITA

Markets further afield are being explored both within and outside Africa. IITA is working with the Standards Organization of Nigeria to develop and publish quality standards for all cassava products intended for export.

The work of IITA is touching the lives of poor farmers and stopping the drudgery involved in processing cassava, as well as putting more money in their pockets. Now there is a new impetus in cassava farming.

Acknowledgements

Hands On would like to thank Richardson Okechukwu, Information Manager at IITA, for his help in putting together this case study.

Further Information

Participating Organisations
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Oyo Road, PMB 5320
Ibadan, Oyo State
Nigeria
Tel: +234 2 241 2626
Fax: +234 2 241 2221
E-mail: iita@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.iita.org/

International contact address
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
c/o Lambourn (UK) Limited
Carolyn House
26 Dingwall Road
Croydon CR9 3EE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8686 9031
Fax: +44 (0)20 8681 8583

Partner Organisations
Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Center (IITA-ESARC)
PO Box 7878
Kampala
Uganda
Tel: +256 41 223445, 221009
Fax: +256 41 223494
E-mail: IITA-Uganda@cgiar.org
Website: www.asareca.org/earrnet

International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
A.A. 6713
Cali Colombia
Tel: +57 2 4450000 direct, +1 650 8336625 via USA
Fax: +57 2 4450073 direct, +1 650 8336626 via USA
E-mail: ciat@cgiar.org
Website: www.ciat.cgiar.org

CIAT in Africa
Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute
P.O. Box 6247
Kampala
Uganda
Tel: +256 41 566089, 567670, 567804, or 566749
Fax: +256 41 567635
Website: http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/africa/index.htm

CGIAR Secretariat
The World Bank
MSN G6-601
1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
USA
Tel: +1 202 473-8951
Fax: +1 202 473-8110
E-mail: cgiar@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.cgiar.org

Southern Africa Root and Tuber Crops Reseach Network (SARRNET)
Chitedze Research Station
P.O. Box 30258
Lilongwe 3
Malawi
Tel: +265 1 707014
Fax: +265 1 707026
E-mail: IITA-Malawi@cgiar.org

National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)
Umudike
Umahia
P.M.B. 7600
Umudike
Nigeria
Tel: +234-69 220188

Further Information
cassavabiz.org
This website is an information service provided by the Integrated Cassava Project (ICP) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), to encourage, promote and expand agribusiness development in the cassava subsector in Nigeria.
Website: http://www.cassavabiz.org

References
New food products from cassava. A. Onabolu, A Abbass, M. Bokanga. IITA, 2003

Cassava processing. M.R. Grace. FAO Plant Production and Protection Series No. 3 http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5032E/X5032E00.htm

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TVE/ Practical Action gratefully acknowledge support for the HANDS ON programmes from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), the UN Foundation and UNDP/The Equator Initiative in collaboration with the Government of Canada, IDRC, IUCN, BrasilConnects and the Nature Conservancy.