The UNCDF head of country, Peter Malika
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has pledged
420m/- to improve a cassava processing factory run by the Frederic and
Jocelyne Scheer African Starch Development Company Limited (FJS) in
Bungu Village in Tanzania’s western region.
FJS is a US-based foundation that promotes creative projects to generate sustainable employment in Tanzania.
The funds will be used as working capital and for new machinery
aimed at raising cassava-flour production to sustain food security,
create jobs, steady farmers’ revenue and improve their livelihoods.
According to FJS, one of the main obstacles cassava farmers are
faced with is selling their crops to generate steady revenue since they
are capable of improving their own productivity and raise the crop’s
output, but face challenges of finding markets to sell the product due
to poor road infrastructure from the harvesting areas.
Therefore, attractive markets such as Dar es Salaam where 250
tonnes of cassava are sold daily cannot be a target market for cassava
farmers since the long trajectory from Bungu Village is costly due to
poor roads infrastructure and the lack of refrigeration, making it
difficult to transport fresh food.
The UNCDF head of country, Peter Malika, explained that with the
new investment, the cassava starch and flour plant will be able to
produce approximately one tonne of cassava flour a day that are meant to
cover local and international demand.
“The factory aims at empowering local cassava farmers whom, thanks
to the cassava flour, will be able to access more profitable markets for
their products,” Malika added.
According to FJS, cassava farmers are only able to distribute their
crops within a 30 miles radius area due to absence of refrigeration.
However, with cassava flour they will be able to deliver their products
beyond Tanzania. Cassava produce is a USD2.86 bn industry which accounts
for 2.1 per cent in African and exports to the global market.
Tanzania ranks 8th in Africa in cassava production worth USD
369,000 which is equivalent to 0.63 per cent of the total exported
produce from Africa with Ghana topping the list by exporting a total of
USD 33.9 million worth of the crop, which is equivalent to 58 per cent.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United
Nations (FAO), cassava consumption demand growth is estimated at an
average of 3.4 per cent. The crop is cultivated in many regions of
Tanzania such as Mwanza, Mtwara, Lindi, Shinyanga, Tanga, Ruvuma, Mara,
Kigoma, and Coast. Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa,
covering an area of 940,000 km2, 60,000 of which is inland water. In
Coast Region, cassava is one of the main food crops. It is estimated
that the annual production of fresh cassava is seven million metric
tonnes. In sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia cassava is staple food and is
eaten by over seven hundred million people. Cassava flour can also be
used to make biscuits, cake, bread and other products. Cassava has
potential for industrial use in production of starch and bio fuel.
The leaves are also used for food in many communities in Africa,
including Tanzania. The crop is an important subsistence food,
especially in the semi-arid areas and is sometimes considered as a
famine reserve when cereals fail, due to its drought tolerance.
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