A COMPREHENSIVE & PRACTICAL GUIDE ON HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING & PROCESSING BUSINESS By : Micheal B . O .
Harvesting is still generally a manual operation , although equipment to facilitate this operation is being considered . The day before harvesting , the plants are topped the stalks are cut off manually 40 to 60 cm above ground or by using a machete or machine and piled at the side of the field . The 40 to 60 cm length of stalk is left as a handle for pulling the tubers from the soil . Material required for the next planting is selected and the rest is burned .
HARVESTING METHODS
In light soils the tubers are slowly drawn from the soil by the stems or with the help of a kind of crowbar , and the tubers are cut off the stock . In heavier soils a hoe may be required to dig up the tubers before the plants are pulled out . It must be noted that once the plants have been topped , the roots must be lifted without delay or they will sprout and the starch content will fall drastically .
Because of the way the tubers grow , cassava is not a crop that readily lends itself to mechanical harvesting . The tubers may spread over 1 m and penetrate the soil 50 to 60 cm deep . If care is not taken when machinery is used during harvesting , the tubers may be damaged and may darken as a result of oxidation . This will lower the value of the flour produced . Mould board ploughs can be used to make hand-harvesting less tedious . Stalks can be successfully cut by means of a mid-mounted mower or a topping machine , and the tubers must be mechanically lifted with a mid-mounted disk tracer .
A modified beet or potato harvester has been suggested for use behind the tractor , with a pulling mechanism instead of the digging shares to raise the tubers by the cut stems left after the topping process . Some types of cassava get fully matured within nine months . Some stays for twelve months before they get matured while some last up to two years before they get fully matured . And this harvesting can be done by uprooting with hand or using other suitable harvesting implements in digging out the tubers .
Nigeria Cassava Farmers can now enjoy high yield cassava harvest : Presently , the average cassava farmer in the country is obtaining only about 12-15 tons per hectare . Whereas smaller countries like Thailand are obtaining over 40-50 tons per hectare . . With high yield cassava stem being distributed to the farmers all across the Country Nigerians farmers are now producing 30 tons per hectare . You can get this high yield cassava stem at IITA Ibadan .
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