Value addition is simply the transformation, quality improvement, packaging, and branding of a raw product. In this article today we learn about the value addition of cassava and how farmers are earning a decent income from it.
Casava is popularly known as muwogo in East Africa. It is a nutty-flavored, starchy root tuber with brown fibrous skin and snowy white interior flesh. In East Africa, this tuber grows well in drained sandy loam soils. The crop continues to gain traction due to its nutritious value and contribution to food security. Do you know that adding value to any agricultural product increases its market value?
After adding value to cassava various products can be obtained. For example, Flour that gluten-free an alternative for baking. Starch and tapioca are used in textile, food, and adhesive industrial applications. Animal feeds: peels and waste processed to feed. Bioethanol is also a product of cassava.
How to Add Value to Cassava.
Cassava’s basic processing tools are manual or powered mills, graters, chippers, and pressers. These cut the processing time up to eighty percent and losses up to fifty percent.
Making Casava Flour.
Cassava tubers are carefully harvested and transported to the collection point. Here the cassava is selected, peeled, and washed with clean water. It is then chipped into smaller pieces by machine or manual labor. We go ahead and spread the chips on a raised platform or off the ground in the sun to dry or Solar dryer. Aggregated are packed and moved to the milling machine for processing into flour.
The cassava after processing into flour, it is sifted through a sieve to remove any lump particles and fiber. Carefully weighed, packed in moisture-proof packages sealed, and labeled with an expiry date by several skilled workers to ensure quality. It is packed in market-friendly packages like 0.5kgs,1kg,5kg. The flour is packed according to the market demand.
Grading of the product is done to meet the international standards for the local and International markets. This is done by adding more minerals and vitamins to the flour.
Making Cassava Starch
Starch is a product from Casava used in making puddings, biscuits, and bread. Its also used as an ingredient in the paper, textile, and pharmaceutical industries. In this case, the casava is peeled, washed, grated, and then socked in three times the amount of clean water.
The mixture is left to settle for about 45 minutes. We then pour the mixture through a clean cloth, leaving it to settle for one or more hours. The remaining water is poured off and the big pieces are broken into smaller ones. The pieces are dried by the sun or artificial method for six hours and then taken to the mill to get starch.
The peelings can be crashed, and some supplements may be added to make a more nutritious feed. These can be supplied to the steadily growing market of livestock and poultry feeds. Especially for the small-scale producers.
Consider Proper processing of casava greatly increases its commercial value of casava and makes it safer for consumption. cassava roots contain a substance called hydrogen cyanide which makes it biter. This substance is toxic to human beings and biter casava contains up to fifty times the amount than sweet casava. Grating reduces the hydrogen cyanide content of biter casava to a much more acceptable level improving the quality and standard of the product.
Benefits of Growing and Adding Value to Cassava.
Casava is drought-resistant and grows with minimal input and care as compared to maize, wheat, and other milled crops. It is easy to propagate since stem cutting is used in this case. This ensures food security for the farmer and family.
Market research has shown that there is a high dependence on maize and wheat flour by the local populations. This has created a gap for alternative sources of carbohydrates in times of scarcity. Casava flour is a one-for-one replacement for these.
To farmers that have gone a step ahead to do value addition. they have seized the opportunity for extra income because There is growing demand for cassava flour.
Casava produces good flour for making and cooking bread, porridge, and pancakes, which are sometimes fried to make cassava chips instead of traditional potato chips. This provides a wide range of products from which a farmer can earn.
Casava flour is cheaper than wheat flour. so, backers are now mixing 10 percent into bread and other products hence cutting back costs.
Common grains and cereals are milled and turned into flour. Unlike cassava tuber that produces glutton-free flour. It is an alternative food for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Glutton is a protein found in wheat, rye, and oats. In food processing, it acts as the glue that holds food together to keep its shape.
Famers’ income is not only boosted by the value addition of casava but also employs the community members involved in the value addition process. This crop brings about economic empowerment to the farmers and entrepreneurs involved in the supply chain.
Adding value to cassava increases its shelf life to over 10 months.
Challenges Involved in the Value Addition for Cassava.
Post-harvest handling of cassava includes transportation, storing, and processing of the root tubers after harvesting. Many farmers experience losses due to poor postharvest skills since freshly harvested cassava is highly perishable.
For example, a farmer that harvests the tubers without proper transportation and storage will in the long run lose a considerable amount to rotting, bad weather, and pests like insects and rodents. Poor post-harvest skills compromise the quality standards of the product.
The lack of adequate clean water and reliable electricity hinders the smooth run of the process of value addition for many new farmers. There can also be a shortage of raw materials in some seasons.
Farmers in most cases lack adequate knowledge about the business. The market in some cases is not guaranteed, and even price fluctuation is a key challenge to the farmers and entrepreneurs in the supply chain which causes losses.
Solutions to the challenges.
Broken cassava rots root faster so it’s important to consider them first when peeling and washing to ensure reduction in post-harvest loss.
Ensure accessibility of clean water and electricity to ensure the smooth running of the value-addition process and improve the quality of products.
A farmer needs to first collect enough information and knowledge about cassava value addition and then establish a network with other growers to create a stable supply of raw materials especially to meet the demand.
Doing some market research is very important for proper decision-making. Approach the local market retail and wholesale shops, supermarkets, and hotels. To benchmark, determine the demand and pricing of your product.
In conclusion.
Value addition of agricultural produce is the way for us the young farmers. it increases product shelf life and improves the quality of food and feeds, providing safer food for consumption. Adding value increases the market value of a product and presents a stable income source to the farmers.
Leave a comment and share your story on how value addition has charged the quality of life.
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This so informative for sure