The Cassava Value Chain in Mozambique
Cassava is the principal starch in Mozambique, at 30 percent of calories. It can be stored unharvested up to 30 months, but fresh cassava lasts only 3 days once harvested. Most processing in Mozambique is artisanal, to eliminate cyanogenic glycosid...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/340481559135255608/The-Cassava-Value-Chain-in-Mozambique http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31754 |
| Summary: | Cassava is the principal starch in
Mozambique, at 30 percent of calories. It can be stored
unharvested up to 30 months, but fresh cassava lasts only 3
days once harvested. Most processing in Mozambique is
artisanal, to eliminate cyanogenic glycosides in the 90
percent of production from pest resistant bitter varieties.
Only 6 percent of production in 2011 was used commercially
for non-food, two-thirds for feed and one-third for starch.
Low levels of productivity for cassava compared to elsewhere
and poor transportation are the main barriers to the
development of a processing industry. Unit costs of
production range from USD 0.09 to USD 0.30 U.S. cents per
kg. Producers would need to achieve 15 tons/hectare to be
commercially viable, compared to average yields between 5
and 9 tons/hectare in Mozambique. Actions recommended
include: adoption of a "Master Plan ";
time-limited subsidies for industrial High Quality Cassava
Flour, ethanol, and starch; a network of service providers
to operate in smallholder areas to deliver improved inputs
and extension; promotion of farmers’ associations for better
access to service providers; research on pest control in
sweet varieties; greater availability of global market
intelligence; capacity-building for processing; and
introduction of legal norms to prevent processors from polluting. |
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