HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS | Page 23

A COMPREHENSIVE & PRACTICAL GUIDE ON HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING & PROCESSING BUSINESS By: Micheal B. O. raw material such as gaplek (sliced dry tubers) for chip or pellet production do not depend on rapid processing of the tubers since the dried raw material can be stored for several months. Seasonal supply shortages of cassava can be avoided by drying peeled pieces of the tubers immediately after harvest and storing them on-farm or at the site of the processing industry until required. TRANSPORT To avoid losses from root deterioration, cassava has to be processed very close to the production areas and processors have to ensure a daily supply of raw material. Decentralised, small-scale processing has been an important strategy to resolve the problems of how to minimise transport costs and how to avoid post-harvest deterioration of bulky, low-value raw material. STARCH EXTRACTION PROCESS • Harvested tubers must be delivered to the processing plant within 48 hours to prevent deterioration. • After washing and peeling, the tubers are grated to release the starch granules and then separated from the pulp and water by sedimentation or by means of a centrifuge. • Solar or artificial drying can also be used to remove the moisture before milling, sieving and packing take place. • The tuber peelings can be recycled as fertiliser and animal feed. • Once dried, the discarded fibre can be sold as flocculent to the mining industry, while low-density starch lost during sedimentation is used as pig feed. MARKETING Cassava spoils easily and is costly to transport in its raw form as it consists mainly of water. Therefore, a lot of processing takes place on-farm. Processing results in products such as gari (a type of pickled vegetable), lafun (a fibrous, powdery form of cassava) and fufu (a thick paste made by boiling) which all have a longer shelf life than cassava tubers do. These products are consumed in the household or sold in the local market. They are sold within Africa or to traders/exporter from other continents. UTILISATION The tubers are used as a substitute for rice or maize meal and the leaves and tender shoots are cooked as a vegetable or used in sauces. They can also be chopped, dried and fed to animals. The main use of cassava in South Africa is for the production of starch, which makes a good natural adhesive. Fresh tubers contain about 30% starch and very little protein. The starch has many industrial applications, including food processing and in the paper, wood, textile, pharmaceutical, chemical and feed industries. The tubers are prepared much like potato and can be peeled and boiled, baked, or fried. Eating uncooked cassava is not recommended because of the potentially toxic concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides. However, these concentrations are reduced to innocuous levels through cooking. Hotlines: 09090040011, 09031617999. 23. E-mail: [email protected]