CASSAVA CHIPS: NOT A STORAGE CONCEPT.

It is no longer news that Cassava is indeed a marketable crop for domestic and industrial use. Hence, it holds huge market value as it is used across board locally and internationally.

The Cassava market is all accommodating and can be said not to breed so much competition particularly the Cassava Chips production aspect of it.

Cassava production is in two major classes, the industrial grade and food grade, our company presently majors in industrial grade production and may soon go into food grade as discussion with a Frontline Cassava processing companies (A Blue Chip Company in Nigeria) is in progress.

Whichever way Cassava Chips production, you might want to go into. Please walk and work with those who have the expertise and has the practical know-how. Some weeks ago, I came across some FB post of some people talking of Cassava Chips storage and it was evident that the business is going to be a free fall.

If you permit me to explain slightly, the more Cassava chips stays dry, the more it looses weight. How does these people intend to do that?

Will they leave it bagged? Is there any plan in for biological contamination? amongst other variables. The reason I as an active agripreneur in the Cassava sector will never encourage Cassava Chips storage particularly if you are supplying ethanol producers is the complexity of Cassava Chips production. Moreover, as this time Cassava prices are up. Cassava usually experience a jack-up in prices between September/ October to March/April, May - August/September prices are usually fairer, Cassava products experience some kind of fairer prices as raw materials during this time.

For chips production, produce and supply, for them stockpiling, there are facilities to that effect and proper conditioning, which a SME might not be able to afford.

Cassava Chips production is profitable, no doubt but it must be done in medium-large scale if you are to withstand the breezy nature of inflation and cost of production.

If you are to do less than 10tons, we should be strong enough to make it a full time business to protect your interests, if not it will fizzle.

Cassava Mathematics is a word I coined in describing calculations required to be successful and tracking volume in Cassava business. If you fail in this angle, all other projections, anticipation and estimations will fail and be wrong.

Dried Cassava Chips production is worthwhile, it needs to be done right and the result will be 👍.

- Enitan A'Azeez
(COO, HA! Maize-In™)

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