Cassava processing
Practical Action
Cassava dough known as fufu in Ghana or amala lafun in Nigeria is made from cassava flour and
plantain to produce rounded balls that can be eaten with fish, meat and soups. In Southern
Africa cassava fritters are produced from grated or pulped fresh cassava combined with egg,
onions, spices, breadcrumbs or cassava flour.
Similar products are produced in South America. In the Amazonian region cassava juice, with the
starch removed, is boiled down and skimmed repeatedly until it ceases to froth, seasoned with
pepper, garlic and other flavours and is used as a source for flavouring meat and fish. The product
is known as Tucupy or Casareep. It can be boiled down further to make syrup. Tucupy de sol is
made by putting the seasoned cassava juice in a lightly corked bottle and exposing it to the sun
for several days. During the slow evaporation the cyanide is eliminated.
Other uses for cassava include animal feed made from the leaves and the dried root chips, and
starch that is used as a food ingredient and in industrial processes.
Cultivation
Cassava can grow in poor conditions but yields increase when soil fertility is maintained and a
good supply of water is used. Under very good conditions yields of fresh roots can reach 90
tonnes per hectare while yields from subsistence agricultural systems average 9.8 tonnes per
hectare.
Traditionally, cassava is grown on small farms at a subsistence level. The application of fertiliser
is usually limited among small-scale farmers due to the high cost and lack of availability. Soil
depletion can be reduced by intercropping with crops such as vegetables, coconuts, yams, sweet
potatoes, melons, maize, peanuts and other crops. In this respect legumes, which fix nitrogen are
very important. Commercially produced fungicides and pesticides are not commonly used.
Cassava is planted by hand, burying the lower half of the cutting, taken form the mature stem,
upright in moist soil. The cuttings produce new roots and shoots within a few days but early
growth is relatively slow. In the early stages of growth it is important to keep weeds under control.
If fertilizer is being used it should be applied during the first few months of growth.
Organisations that have carried out research into developing cassava cultivation include The
Natural Resources Institute (NRI), which aims to develop environmentally-friendly technologies to
reduce crop losses from pests and diseases in developing countries, and the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), that has developed improved varieties of cassava.
Production has been increasing over recent years, partly in response to the new varieties
introduced by IITA between 1988 and 1992 and because of government initiatives in the
promotion of production and market development.
A number of new initiatives are currently being implemented to improve yields and expand the
growing area to increase cassava production. For example the Cassava Growers Association in
Nigeria has set out to purchase parcels of land suitable for commercial growing of cassava in a
cluster farming system. This allows for improved farming methods including the use of high
yielding plant varieties and shared use of mechanised equipment such as a hired tractor for
ploughing.
The production of cassava is dependent on a supply of good quality disease-free and pest-free
stem cuttings. The stem cuttings are sometimes referred to as 'stakes'. Dr. Robertson of the
Faculty of Agriculture in the University of Zimbabwe has developed a low cost approach to
propagating disease-free cuttings by growing the clean cuttings in cabinets before they are passed
onto farmers. The yields from the disease free plants are very much higher than standard plants.
Harvesting
Plants are ready for harvest as soon as the tubers are large enough to meet consumer
requirements. Roots can be harvested from 6 months up to 3 years after planting
depending on the variety, enabling harvests to be delayed until market, processing,
or other conditions are most favourable. However, as the roots age, the central
portion becomes woody and inedible.
Most cassava is harvested by hand, lifting the lower part of the stem and pulling the
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