HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS | Page 31

A COMPREHENSIVE & PRACTICAL GUIDE ON HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING & PROCESSING BUSINESS By: Micheal B. O. A GUIDE FOR GROWING CASSAVA IN NIGERIA AS A BUSINESS ILLUSTRATION GUIDE ON HOW TO SETUP CASSAVA FARMING, PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING BUSINESS CHOICE OF LAND Choose well-drained, deep, loamy soils. Where such is not available sandy and clayey soils can be managed intensively for cassava production. However, very sandy and clayey soils should be avoided. LAND PREPARATION: The texture and water table of the soil will guide you in your choice of land preparation method. Planting on the flat is recommended when the soil is deep and well drained as in sandy loam soils. Shallow and clayey soils should be tilled and ridged. Soils prone to waterlogging require ridges or mounds. Planting on ridges or mounds is a general practice in the rain forest and derived savanna zones in Nigeria. CHOOSING A VARIETY Carefully select varieties with multiple pest and disease resistance, high and stable root yields and acceptable quality characteristics that meet endusers’ requirements for food (gari, fufu, fermented flour etc) and industrial raw material (starch, chips, pellets, unfermented flour etc). The major genetic factor that determines quality of roots is dry matter content. RECOMMENDED VARIETIES Several improved varieties of cassava have been recommended and released in Nigeria. The most commonly grown of these are TMS 30572, 4(2)1425, 92/0326 and NR 8082. More recently 42 new improved genotypes have been made available to farmers in the South-south and South-east for participatory selection so that they can identify specific best-bet varieties for each of the cassava growing communities. For now, you could choose any of the commonly grown improved varieties for planting since they are stable across environments. However, you will also need to select the variety with the highest performance in your farm site and environs. ACQUISITION OF PLANTING MATERIALS Stems of improved varieties can be obtained from National Seed Service (NSS), state offices of Agricultural Development Programs (ADP), the Cassava Growers Association (CGA) and several out-growers who produce quality stems for sale. Stems are usually tied in bundles each Hotlines: 09090040011, 09031617999. 31. E-mail: [email protected]