By Oscar Kakande

Nakasongola District Young Farmers’ Association has embraced cassava value addition to boost the economic value of the food crop apart from being a staple food, and moreover earning from it.

Once regarded as a “poor man’s food,” cassava is now processed into high-value products like cassava flour and chips, fetching attractive prices.

Converting agricultural produce into value-added goods not only increases farmers’ profits but also offers flexible work hours. Leveraging the farm’s unique strengths, young farmers can tap into specialized markets and reap the benefits of diversified revenue streams.

(Ronald Sebinwagi, a young farmer under Nakasongola District Young Farmers’ Association)

“As young farmers, we realized that cassava’s potential extends far beyond home consumption and direct sales,” says Sebinwagi Ronald, Chairperson of Nakasongola District Young Farmers’ Association.

 “Our goal was to double our earnings from this root crop. Inspired by successes in value addition for other crops, such as corn flakes from maize and crisps from Irish potatoes.” Ronald notes, “We saw an opportunity to create more value.”

Ronald adds, “Through producing cassava chips, we are doubling our earnings compared to traditional sales methods. Unfortunately, poor post-harvest management practices often result in high losses.” To address this, the association employs careful drying and proper storage.

After harvesting, cassava roots are dried for at least 3 days to reduce moisture content. This is achieved through sun drying on concrete floors, racks, or trays. The dried cassava is then milled into flour.

The availability of high-yielding cassava varieties, such as NARO-CAS, has been a game-changer for our production,” Ronald explains. “With these varieties, we can harvest over 20 tonnes per acre.”

 Despite facing challenges like market linkages and poor post-harvest management practices, the youth are optimistic about the potential of value-added cassava products to meet market demand.

Ronald emphasizes, “We urge potential buyers, such as schools, to support us by purchasing our cassava flour, which is not only nutritious but also free from foreign materials.”

This venture has significantly improved the youths’ standards of living by creating employment opportunities, and also transforming their attitude towards farming positively in Nakasongola.

The Russian-Ukraine war also highlighted the importance of cassava as an alternative to wheat. With Russia’s wheat supply halted and prices skyrocketing, cassava has become an attractive option for Ugandans.

This shift was also encouraged by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni in 2022, when he urged Ugandans to opt for cassava as a substitute for expensive bread. “Eat cassava if you cannot afford bread.” Museveni noted.

Other ventures of cassava value addition.

Cassava can be utilized in other ways such as starch extraction starch, production of paper, animal feed and pharmaceutical manufacturing of drugs etc.

Recent reports reveal that the importers of Manioc (cassava) starch in 2022 was China at 71% of the world imports which amounted to $2.2 billion.

Indonesia accounted for 5.09% ($156 million) while the USA accounted for 4.24% ($130 million) and Malaysia accounted for 3.72% ($114 million).

The above figures clearly show that there is tremendous room for the export of Uganda’s cassava once it is processed into cassava flour or starch.

The youth in Nakasongola DYFA intend to acquire a cassava milling machine to increase more value to cassava. Through acquiring this machine, more jobs will be created and there will be high production of the cassava flour to the market.