Cassava more popular among the older populations in major cities in Tanzania

Over a half of the population in the three major cities in Tanzania eat cassava but nearly everyone eats maize.Furthermore, the hardy root crop, was found to be more popular among the older people who preferred  it in the form of ‘ugali’ made from its flour while the young population mostly ate it boiled.

Dr Adebayo Abass, IITA's value addition specialist briefs the cassava processors on the harmonized cassava flour standard

There is therefore a huge potential to increase the market for cassava in the country by getting more people to eat it especially the urban youth says Dr Adebayo Abass, a value chain specialist from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). 

Dr Abass was speaking at a recent training on standards for cassava flour in East Africa for cassava processors from Kigoma, Pwani and Mwanza regions held at the Lake Zone Agricultural Research Institute (LZARD) in Mwanza. The five East Africa countries harmonized their standards for cassava and potato and their products to facilitate cross-border trade.

Dr Abass said the study commissioned by IITA and conducted by Consumer Insight, asked 1,464 people in the major cities in Tanzania the important crops in their daily food. Over a half of them, 53% said they ate cassava compared to 100% of maize. 65% of them said they ate it boiled cassava while 67% consumed it as a stiff porridge ‘ugali’ made from the flour. 

Anna Mhalu from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (second from left) oversees the practical session during the training on standards.

 “Looking at age differences, a majority of the young people between 18-24 consumed boiled cassava while among the older generation, most preferred to eat ugali made from its flour. Most of the younger people (70%)said they would like to eat cassava ugali, if the flour was white and not smelly” he said.

According to the researcher, ugali made from some traditional cassava flour is smelly while the modern processing method developed by IITA through and tested in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperation (MAFC) and the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Center (TFNC) and other partners gives non-smelly cassava ugali.

According to the study, conducted between May and July 2013, the region with the highest consumers of cassava was Mwanza and mostly in the form of cassava ugali. It was least popular in Arusha possibly because the cassava flour available in the market is grey in color (33%).

Looking at quality issues, the study found that 44% of the population wanted the cassava flour to be finely milled, 33% said they did not want smelly flour and 30% wanted it white in colour. And when asked where they wanted to buy their flour, majority said at the kiosks in the neighborhood. Only 9% said the supermarkets. Two thirds of the people interviewed also said they found it difficult to find the cassava flour because it was not available in the kiosks.

The processors spread the dried cassava mash on a raised platform to keep off livestock and dust to avoid contamination of the floor and preferably on dry black plastic bags which trap heat hastening the drying process.

Abass further advised the processors, “Looking at the whole population, majority want the flour to be white and finely milled. No one wants grey and smelly flour. That is how you should process your flour. Many of you have been targeting supermarkets, now you need to start considering the kiosks– the small shops within the residences.”

Dr Abass also added that a majority of those interviewed said that they did not want the cassava and maize flours mixed together by the processors. They prefer to buy each separately and mix at home themselves as they wish. They also preferred the packing to be in one kg packets.

The training was conducted by researchers from IITA and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) with funds from Association for Strengthening Agriculture Research in East and Central Africa, (ASARECA).

Agripreneurs explore opportunities in the seed sector

Diversity of cowpea seeds

Members of the IITA Youth project have explored opportunities in the seed sector, making visits to seed companies across Nigeria. The exploratory visits in 2012 were aimed at exposing them to the potential in the seed sector.

“Plans are underway for these young people to join the Nigerian seed companies in providing farmers with high quality seeds/planting materials (for IITA commodities such as maize, cowpea, soybean, cassava, yam, and banana/plantain) in the first instance,” says Dr Gbassey Tarawali, Representative of the DG and DDG (P&CD), who is working closely with them.

Seed companies visited were Da-AllGreen Ltd, Premier Seeds Nigeria Ltd, Nagari Seeds Nigeria Ltd, Savannah Seeds Ltd, National Agricultural Seed Council, Sun Seed and Springfield Agro Ltd, Maslaha Seed Co., Terratiga Ltd, Seed Project Co. Ltd, Maina Seeds Ltd, and Manoma Seeds Co.

During the visit, the Agripreneurs were able to understand the challenges facing the seed sector and came back with plans on how to overcome those challenges.

The IITA Youth Agripreneurs project was initiated by Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General, in 2012. The project aims to unlock the potential in agriculture by attracting and engaging young men and women in agribusiness to create decent employment opportunities comparable to those for their colleagues in the banking, oil, and communication sectors.

Strategic thinkers to propose IITA youth model to Government

Dr Okechukwu receives a plaque on behalf of DG Sanginga
from NIPSS team

Members of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, near Jos, Nigeria, will present the IITA model of engaging the youth in agriculture to Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan.

The delegation praised IITA for the concept, emphasizing that the model would be part of the recommendations that would be submitted to the President as part of strategies to tackle food security and unemployment, especially among young people.

“The youth program offers opportunities and we will recommend to Mr President that it should be replicated,” says Mr Jonathan Juma, leader of the delegation.

The Directing Staff, NIPSS, Brigadier General Johnny Hamakim, noted that IITA was strategic for Africa, adding that a visit to the Institute was imperative for the team to make informed decisions on food security in Africa.

Welcoming the delegation to IITA on behalf of DG Sanginga, the Coordinator of Cassava Transformation at IITA, Dr. Richardson Okechukwu thanked the team for coming and seeking inputs from researchers.

He explained the vision and mission of the Institute under the revised strategy, and also highlighted the milestones recorded by IITA towards addressing the constraints of development both in Nigeria and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

NIPSS is a policy formation center for bureaucrats, private sector leaders, and Army officers, among others.

This year’s visit to IITA was facilitated by Sylvia Oyinlola and Toyin Oke. The delegation had the opportunity to tour the IITA campus. Among places visited were: the Genetic Resources Center, IITA forest, aflasafe factory, banana/plantain unit, and the Postharvest Unit. They also had a taste of the 40% cassava bread.

“Take opportunities in baking bread with 40 percent cassava”

The Head of the Hotel and Catering Unit of IITA, Mr Samiran Mazumdar, has unveiled the opportunities in including cassava in baking, with a call on the IITA Agripreneurs to take advantage of the technology.

In a lecture on 23 August 2013, he encouraged them to be actively involved in initiatives that would promote the inclusion of cassava in making bread and confectionary.

He highlighted the benefits from including cassava as follows: employment creation, food self-sufficiency, and food security, and called on the Agripreneurs to be innovative in terms proffering ways that would disseminate the technology far and wide.

As developed by IITA, the inclusion of 40 percent cassava flour in baking aims at diversifying the uses of the root crop. The Nigerian Government estimates foreign exchange savings of over N250 billion annually from a cut in wheat imports.

Other benefits include a better price for cassava and improved livelihoods for cassava farmers.

Mr Mazumdar urged the Agripreneurs to consider marketing the cassava bread in kiosks located at strategic locations in Nigeria, baking and/or being actively involved in raising awareness on the economic and health benefits of including cassava in food.

Other resource persons who gave presentations were IITA biometrician, Mr Sam Korie, and IITA Postharvest Engineer, Mr Thierno Diallo.

One year of IITA Youth Agripreneurs

IITA Agripreneurs in their cassava field

The IITA Youth Agripreneurs are a group of young graduates involved in agribusiness, with the aim of being a unit that would serve as a model to other young people planning to venture into agribusiness and becoming the trainer of trainers. Within one year of their existence, they have established many hectares of maize, cassava, and soybean and also plantain/banana fields. They have also multiplied plantain suckers in the macropropagation chamber. They have managed to bridge the gender inequality gap in the team, with their present number standing at 11 men and 10 women.

The activities of the group cut across the value-chains of different crops including cassava, maize, plantain/banana, and soybean. For cassava, the Youth Agripreneurs  are into stem multiplication and root production. For maize and soybean, their focus is on seed multiplication (both certified and foundation seeds), whereas for the plantain/banana, they are into sucker multiplication and fruit production.

The uniqueness of the team lies in the heterogeneity of the disciplines inherent therein, ranging across the Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences. After a meeting with the IFAD President, Dr Kanayo Nwanze, intended to spur youth involvement towards sustainable agriculture, the members of the National Youth Service Corps who were then serving in IITA, Ibadan, under the guidance of the Director-General, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, responded with enthusiasm to the call on 28 August 2012.

The project began with a series of activities, such as attending seminars and training within and outside the
Institute, including a workshop organized by UNIDO in Songhai. Visits to seed companies, most of them in the northern part of Nigeria, were also made. The project has had visitors from various organizations, USAID, UNIDO, FARA, NIPSS, etc., to mention a few.

The Agripreneurs look forward to collaborating with sponsors and investors, as one of their future plans is to expand their production. They wish to become self-independent and self-employed, having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills, and ultimately become employers of labour.