The Cassava Value Chain in Mozambique

Carlos G. Costa and Christopher L. Delgado

No 31113790, Jobs Group Papers, Notes, and Guides from The World Bank

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: cassava production; farmer; Micro and Small Enterprises; global value chain; paper issue; supply of raw material; cassava processing; food crop; staple food crop; fresh cassava; food balance sheets; cost of production; production of cassava; business environment; international market; food product; land use right; high protein content; areas of production; animal feed ingredient; high yield variety; privileges and immunity; tolerance to pest; climate change issue; area under cultivation; resistance to drought; private sector job; rural service provider; division of labour; division of labor; gross domestic product; consumption per capita; industrial process; traditional food; cassava flour; smallholder farmer; rural family; genetic material; ethanol production; pest control; world production; export market; processing methods; commercial purpose; harvest area; human consumption; collected information; commercially viable; cultivation practice; shelf life; global production; asian countries; household level; cassava consumption; regional market; small farm; ongoing support; global market; cash crop; management skill; field days; root crop; business model; innovative initiative; demonstration plots; improved technologies; agricultural growth; humid tropics; global scale; Postharvest Losses; total tonnage; irish potato; sweet potato; product quality; post harvest; supplementary food; constant rate; emergency situation; productivity growth; germ plasm; domestic demand; transportation infrastructure; small manufacturing; present cost; animal feeding; market price; starch production; reliable access; urban family; food safety; supply chain; farm yield; gender dimension; input supply; industrial capacity; small farmer; dry product; secondary sources; research study; feed grain; flour production; innovative business; private company; sun drying; traditional methods; farmer training; private entrepreneurship; bioactive products; maize production; collected data; agricultural production; smallholder producer; efficient transport; logistics system; production method; underground storage; small area; export crop; commercial crop; agricultural census; increase productivity; infertile soil; trade corridors; agricultural potential; rural population; southern coast; national policy; bakery product; fiscal measure; technological process; dietary energy; technological support; industrial purpose; food industry; resistant crop; convenience food; domestic policies; remote region; global export; global trade; agricultural practice; soil fertility; cereal harvest; lean season; labour input; Water Management; medical product; extreme drought; manufacturing sector; hydrogen cyanide; plant material; technology support; ethanol price; export trade; crop duration; farm area; industry benchmarking; market opportunity; oil product; fiscal policy; pharmaceutical use; processed food; private investment; smallholder agriculture; national survey; Public-Private Partnership; good hygiene; acquired immunity; cooking fuel; donor assistance; technological improvement; maize price; Fiscal policies; environmental issue; supply-side constraints; supply-side issue; market issues; trade issue; supply constraint; regional demand; legal norm; farmers' association; copyright owner; sole responsibility; original work; global partnership; coastal region; national production; mechanical process; upper bind (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 77
Date: 2019-01-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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