With the increasingly diverse use of cassava products in Nigeria, cassava farming is getting more lucrative with every passing day. This farm product has always been a source of livelihood and food for millions of Nigerians. 90% of Nigerian households consume cassava products everyday. Some of the meals are: garri, cassava-flour, animal feed, commercial caramel, and a lot more.
As the population of Nigeria, and Africa as a whole continues to grow, the demand for cassava products will continue to skyrocket, leading to higher revenues generated by cassava farmers. This widespread consumption of cassava products will continue to place it as a cash crop that always gets bought after a harvest, and guarantees a good profit after sales.
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| Freshly harvested cassava tubers |
MODEL FOR OPERATIONS AND COST
1). Selection of a Good Site.
When getting a site to setup a cassava farm, an area with deep well drained loamy soil, adequate rainfall, and warm & moist climatic conditions should be selected. Cassava grows best in these areas.
Picking the right location to setup cassava farm is extremely important. This way, one don’t have to go through the pain and cost of improving the soil before planting the cassava stem cuttings.
2). Land preparation
The major operations in land preparations are
(a) Ploughing
(b) Harrowing and
(c) Ridging.
Ridge immediately after ploughing. Harrowing has become optional mostly in Africa.
Cost of land preparation
Ploughing = 15,000/hectare.
Ridging = 15,000/hectare.
For 1 hectare. Total cost of land preparation will be :
15,000 + 15,000 = 30,000.
★Pre planting Herbicide application
Depending on weed density after ploughing,3 litters of Premextra or atrazine will be mixed with 2 to 3 liters glyphosate, to be applied Per hectare, or 5 liters glyphosate, straight away without mixture.
Premextra is 2,000 per liter, while glyphosate is 1700 per liter.
Total amount needed for pre planting herbicide therefore is
(3*2000*) + (2*1700) = 9,400 naira
Labor = 5,000
3). Select The Best Cassava Variety To Plant:
There are wide breeds of cassavas that can be grown. But the best breeds to cultivate are the types that’s widely accepted by the target market, gives great yields, grows fast, and are resistant to pests and diseases. The major factors involved in selecting the right cassava breed to grow are:
Varieties with good food quality
Varieties with good cooking abilities
Varieties that bulk early
Varieties with good ground storability
Varieties that are tolerant to pests, diseases, and weed.
There are varieties of Cassava developed in Nigeria through a collaborative effort between (IITA) and (NRCRI) and These varieties performs well in different cassava production regions of Nigeria with ‘High yield’, ‘High Dry Matter’ and ‘Good Disease Resistance’.
There’s also the vitamin A developed by harvestplus (in collaboration with IITA).
Potential Realistic Expected Yield of these 2 varieties is about 20-30tons (Average of 25 tons), based on what has been tested and experienced on the field on any of these varieties especially the “419 improved variety “. How ever, these varieties are only known for their high starch content, this makes them unsuitable for garri production which is the major driver of the local market, hence, they sell less in local market.
The decision on which variety to go for either the local variety or highly starchy improved varieties depends on either you wish to sell in the local market or you plan to connect with Conventional cassava processing companies to supply them.
4). Select Healthy Cassava Stem Cuttings:
Cassava stem cuttings are used to grow cassava crops. Selecting healthy stems is crucial to growing rich cassava crops that the market would quickly purchase. Cassava stem cuttings can be purchased in town markets, villages and research institutes. After the initial purchase of the cassava stem cuttings, the best place to keep getting healthy cassava stem cuttings are on your own farm. Planting healthy stem cuttings is important because they’d help to greatly reduce the spread of cassava pests and diseases.
5). Planting.
It is important to plant the cassava right. Before you plant your cassava crop products, you need to consider the land tillage method, the time of the year, the seed bed type, and the method of preparation, handling, and planting of the cassava stem cuttings. Planting the cassava within all the right conditions will ensure you reap a healthy harvest. It will increase chances of good yields, and would ensure you always have the cassava harvests just when a lot of buyers need it.
1. Planting starts in April and can be extended to October.
2. The quantity recommended for 1 ha is 60 bundles of cassava stem.
3. Stem cuttings 25 cm long should be planted at a spacing of 1 m x 1 m.
4. Planting rate by replacing dead or nonviable stems will ensure maintenance of 100% planting rate.
★Number of stem cuttings bundles require to plant an hectare and cost
50 to 60 bundles cassava stem cuttings will plant an hectare at standard spacing.
For local breed, a bundle is 300 – 500 naira. For the improved 419 from IITA a bundle goes for 600 – 700 naira.
Local variety : 400 * 60 = 24,000
Improved variety : 650 * 60 = 39,000
Cost of planting = 10,000.
(6). 2nd weeding.
2nd weeding of the plantation will come after 3 months (12 weeks) using the same herbicide mixture but with more caution, since the crop will already have foliage by then. Compulsorily, spray guard must be attached to the spray nozzle, and those that will spray must be trained and thoroughly monitored.
4 liters of glyphosate per hectare is enough.
1700* 4 = 6,800
Labor = 5,000
(7). Fertilizer application.
Fertilizer use, type and rate
The following fertilizers and their rate/ha are recommended
• Morate of potassium (MOP) = 14,000 per bag.
• NPK 12:12:17– bags = 7500 per bag.
Both to be applied at 200kg per hectare. (4bags).
MOP = 4*14,000* = 56,000 or
NPK = 4*7500* = 30,000
Apply fertilizer at 8 weeks after planting. Apply fertilizer in a ring, 6 cm wide and 10 cm from the plant or broadcast with care around the plant, making sure the fertilizer does not touch the stem or leaves.
8). Harvesting.
Cassava tubers are ready to be harvested starting from the 8th months. The more they stay on the field,the better the yield up on to the 12th months.
Harvesting cost = 10,000.
9). Marketing Cassava Products:
After growing and harvesting your crops, you’d need to ensure maximum returns by selling your harvests to the right buyer and at the right price. Major targeted market for cassava farmers are;
★ The local market. Various states and towns have a market place or market day where cassava farmers converge to buy and sell.
★Starch making companies.
Aside local markets, another option is to see to starch companies that needs ,however, attention must be paid into the type of variety grown to suit the need of each targeted market. Either the local market which requires less starchy variety ad the starch companies that requires a starchy variety.
★Cassava Processing by self:
Cassava processing is another viable option and direction where marketing can be looked into. Cassava is highly perishable and may start decaying as early as the 3rd day after harvest. Harvested cassava which by chance did not get soled can be processed . Harvested cassava can be processed. Processing adds more value and then increases the propensity for the amount that can be gotten from the cassava. There are many products that is derived from Cassava…Gari (Modern Gari for Export), Starch, Chips, Tampioc
a, Fufu(odorless), Flour, Ethanol, Gari, Glucose, Bakery, Glue, Livestock Feed etc.
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| A Cassava processing plant in Ilorin. |
★Another option is the export link, mainly when the farm gets bigger, there can be creation of export link such that the raw cassava or processed products of the farm can be exported.
EXPECTED RETURN
Using the average Yield Price & Most Realistic Price in this part of Nigeria (North central -South west)
Local variety yields average of 15 tons
Cassava sells for about 11,000 – 15,000: (Average of 13,000)
15 tons x N13000 = 195,000
Improved variety yields average of 25 tons
25 * 13000. = 325,000.
Concluding note :
The higher you invest, the more your return. The above model is based on a single hectare calculation. Goodluck!!
Aliyu Ahmed Olanrewaju
Researcher/Agribusiness consultant.
This is really cool. You are doing a good job brother
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