many communities have been growing cassava just for food and not for income but they have been taught by some experts from Nigeria that cassava can earn them some good income.
cassava is a drought surviving crop which is easy to grow and very simple to harvest . All parts of cassava are valuable . cassava leaves can be used to make soup or as feed for livestock, the stems can be used for planting more cassava, for mushroom production or as firewood, the root can be cooked and eaten fresh or processed into flour. cassava can also meet industrial needs such as the production of bio-fuel and starch for use in paper- and drug-making industries.
high-quality cassava flour is made within a day of harvesting the root. it is very white, has low fat content, is not sour like traditional, fermented cassava flour, does not give a bad smell or taste to food products and can mix very well with wheat flour for use in bread or cakes.
what you need to make high-quality cassava flour, you require:
- space for processing the cassava
- a store
- a facility for safe disposal of waste materials
- cassava roots
- processing equipment (knife, bowl, drying platform, grater, press and milling machine)
- trained machine operators along with casual workers for peeling, washing, grating, pressing, drying, milling, sifting and packing.
Accessible markets include bakeries, millers and paper industries, schools, hospitals, shops,kiosks, hotels, restaurants and local famine relief agencies.
Nakaseke Telecentre is collaborating with Mifunya Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO) together with Tropical Crops Initiatives -Uganda and a group from Nigeria to introduce Cassava growing skills to Farmers.
