Do you have interest in cassava farming, then the time to make more money is now.

A single farming season spent in cassava farming and processing can hand you the key to financial freedom. Yes! Cultivating and processing cassava is simply a money-making venture. In this post, I will show you why you should consider giving it a go and how to start your very own cassava farming and processing business.

Here are some of the reasons cassava has such a huge earning potential for you as an entrepreneur:

CASSAVA IS AN IMPORTANT FOOD CROP IN NIGERIA
Cassava is the third most consumed crop in Nigeria (FAOSTAT). It is our most important food crop by production quantity while yam is the most important food crop by value. Cassava is an important staple crop not only in Nigeria, but in Africa as it has a high potential of feeding rapidly increasing population and it is generally more affordable if compared to other staple foods.

EXPORT POTENTIALS ARE ENDLESS
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava. However, cassava produced in Nigeria goes mainly to feed and food (on average 45.6 percent and 45.7 percent respectively, while the rest of it goes to waste (FAOSTAT). This opens up a lot of doors for you as an entrepreneur especially in the processing and export sector. Countries like Thailand and Indonesia lead the charts on world cassava export.

CASSAVA IS A MULTI-PURPOSE FOOD CROP
It has a lot of uses. The crop is so valuable that no part of it is thrown away. The roots serve as food, the stem can be re-planted to grow more cassava while the leaves serve as livestock feed. The products in the value chain also serve as industrial raw material. You can focus on any of these or all of them. Whichever one you choose, cassava farming and processing is agriculture and you can never go wrong with agriculture.

DEMAND IS HIGH
The demand for cassava is high both in local and international markets, thereby making the business of cassava farming and processing very profitable. Due to its wide range of use the level of profitability of cassava farming is second to no other food crop. In fact, the demand of cassava is clearly higher than the supply. How much is a cup of garri in your area now? Think about it.

HOW TO START A CASSAVA FARMING AND PROCESSING BUSINESS
To begin cassava farming and processing, you will need to put some things in place. The basic requirements include: acquiring a farmland, developing the farmland to suit cassava production, selecting the best variety of cassava, and selecting the best cassava stem cutting to plant.

Before you get started, of course, you will need to have a good business feasibility plan and raise capital for the business.

HOW TO START A CASSAVA FARMING AND PROCESSING BUSINESS
To begin cassava farming and processing, you will need to put some things in place. The basic requirements include: acquiring a farmland, developing the farmland to suit cassava production, selecting the best variety of cassava, and selecting the best cassava stem cutting to plant.

Before you get started, of course, you will need to have a good business feasibility plan and raise capital for the business. You can click on the links to get detailed guides on how to do those. We will focus on planting and processing in this post.

ACQUIRING A FARMLAND
Cassava is a crop capable of surviving drought. However, it grows best on a flat or slightly slope land composed of humus soil which has capacity to retain water. The land must be in an area with an adequate amount of rainfall. Some of the qualities you should watch out for while acquiring land for cassava planting include:

the land must contain dense vegetation,
check for the texture of the soil, and
the land must be flat or gently slope due to reduce the tendency of erosion to occur, washing away the soil’s nutrient.
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A land which has thick vegetation is likely to favor the cultivation of cassava, drastically increasing the yield. The dense vegetation serves as covering for the soil, reducing the rate of water loss from the soil and improving the organic content of the soil when leaves fall and decay.

For best yield of cassava, you should make sure that the land acquired is mostly loamy soil. Sandy or clay soils do not support proper growth of cassava. Also, deep loamy soil is more easily tilled, contain less gravels, and more nutrient that the cassava plant will need.

DEVELOP THE FARMLAND TO SUIT CASSAVA PRODUCTION
A land with good soil favors the quick growth of cassava. Plants grown on such land usually have high resistance to pests and diseases. However, if you are not so fortunate to get a fertile land to cultivate cassava all hope is not lost.

There are some agricultural practices you can carry out on a less suitable land to improve its suitability for cassava production. They include:

APPLICATION OF MANURE
The fertility of the soil could be greatly increased by adding manure to the land. You could apply green manure in the form of dead plants or plant crop such as beans, groundnut, and the like. Work green materials into the soil while ploughing your land to improve the soil’s texture, nutrient and water retention capacity. Animal wastes are also good source of organic manure.

INTER-CROPPING CASSAVA WITH OTHER PLANTS
Legumes are excellent source of soil nutrients. Their falling leaves rot in the ground, improving the soil’s characteristics. Inter-cropping cassava alongside crops like melon, cowpea, maize, rice, and legumes improves the soil’s nutrient.

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