Africa Innovations InstituteCassava: Adding Value for Africa

Report period: Apr 2011 to Mar 2012

Francis O. Alacho, C:AVA Country Manager, Uganda

C:AVA Uganda key milestones

• 2,592 farmers benefitting by an average of $102per year.• 2,398 farmer processors benefitting by anaverage of $125 per year.• 792 t of cassava grits/HQCF produced withconsistent quality.• 792 t of cassava grits/HQCF purchased by end‐user industries.

Cumulative beneficiary targets:

Sn Beneficiary category Target Achieved Achieved (%)

1. Farmers 2,592 3,188 108

2. Farmer processors 2,398 2,463 103

Beneficiaries segregated by sex

Sn Farmer category Female (%) Male (%)1. Farmers 55 452. Farmer processors 57 43

HQCF/cassava grits production (tons)(April 2011 to March 2012)

Sn Intermediary  (Association)

Cassava grits/HQCF(t)

Gari Tapioca

1. PATA 284.9 42 22. EAPPA/SOSPPA 416.9 ‐ ‐3. P’KWII 103.5 ‐ ‐

Total 805.3 42 2

HQCF/cassava grits production (tons)(April 2011 to March 2012)

284.9

416.9

103.5

PATA

EAPPA

P'KWII

Annual industry HQCF market demand

Industry Actual sales

Estimated annual demand  (MT)

Demand met (%)

Biscuits 2 2,400 0.08

Paperboard 177 2,400 7.4

Rural bakeries 275.1 1,200 22.9

Agri‐foods 388.9 600 64.8

Total 805.3 6,600 12.2

Potential HQCF market demand met

Pricing of cassava products

Price trends for wheat & HQCF

Fuel prices vs dollar exchange rates

Price trends of HQCF vs Fresh tubers

UNBS lab test resultsTest Parameter Test result Specs Status

SOSPA PATA

Sample 0041 Sample 0042 Sample 0040

Sample 0043

Total plate count (cfu/g) 44,000 44,000 62,000 11,000 100,000 (max)

Pass

Total coliforms (MFN/g) >1,100 3 240 3.6 NA Pass

Escherichia coli (MPN/G) <3 <3 <3 <3 <1 (cfu/g) Pass

Salmonella Not detected Not detected Not detected

Not detected

Shall be absent

Pass

Yeast and moulds (cfu/g) 4,100 900 2,600 2,400 500 (max) Fail

Moisture content (%m/m) 12.4 11.3 10.8 10.6 13.0 (max) Pass

Total ash (%m/m on dry basis) 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.4 3.0 (max) Pass

Acid insoluble ash (%m/m on dry basis) 0.09 0.1 0.1 o.29 0.35 (max) Pass

Flavours & odours Normal Normal Normal Normal normal Pass

Filth Absent Absent Absent Absent absent Pass

Living insects Absent Absent Absent Absent absent Pass

Observations

• Women tend to experiment more?.• Women tend to take on new innovationsfaster ?.• Women are also the majority members in thegroups.• Traditionally women process cassava

More observations

• In PATA the largest producer is a woman for bothHQCF and exclusively gari, tapioca and starch for aniche market.• Women also dominate the small baking industrybased on HQCF.• Bulk of HQCF produced by executive committeemale members of associations who purchase fromboth members and non‐members.

Success stories• Preference of cakes, doughnuts, mandazi,chapatti with HQCF to pure wheat by locals ineastern Uganda (customer is king).• Increased visibility ( TV Dec and Feb 2012, FMradios).• Attracted visits from Somalia, Rwanda, SouthSudan, Local & central governments.

Trainees during baking course (Dec 2011)

Sn Category Number trained

1. PATA 43

2. EAPPA 44

3. P’KWII 44

4. Women (%) 58.7

5. Men (%) 41.3

6. Rural bakers  16 (12.2 %)

Training in baking using HQCF

HQCF/cassava grits sales markets (t)

Sales by processing sites

Model rural HQCF processing site at PATA showing selected features

Selected features in a model HQCF processing site.

Rural enterprises based on HQCF value chain• Event management (wedding cakes, graduationcakes, tents, chairs).• Harvesting fresh tubers.• Peeling, water, washing, grating, drying, bagging.• Milling.• Fabrication workshop at Soroti.• Mobile equipment repair and maintenanceworkshop.• Transport by ox carts & buses.

Mrs Zainabu Akol’s story

Zainabu in her cassava garden

Zainabu feeds turkeys she bought with cassava sales

Zainabu in her orange garden with manure from livestock

Zainabu with cattle she 

bought from orange sales

Michael Ikara’s story(P’KWI farmer in Bukedea)

Changes in the livelihood and agricultural practices Narration of captions

Ikara plants in rows & weeds promptly at recommended spacing

Ikara’s dwelling house before C:AVA project

Ikara has sold over 6 t of HQCF and has constructed a dwelling house

Ikara in his Ox‐weeded cassava garden using “magic plough”

Joseph Engwedu’s SME story(owner of Josa investments, baker of Fena bread)

Extract from SME focus New Vision Feb 23rd 2012

“I was surprised by the delicacy of bread I 

made with the partial substitution of HQCF, now I know that using HQCF will ultimately 

widen my market base”

Joseph Engwedu with Mrs Ekinyu

Eugene Ekinyu’s story

Eugene Ekinyu story(extract from New vision, January 12th 2012 page 

30, under “Growing business”)

He has so far sold over 45 tons of HQCF andsaid….”I have managed to educate my children.Other members of the association have been ableto construct iron sheet‐roofed homes and educatetheir children, while others have bought land toexpand their farms”

Merab Apiny an emerging baker

Merab Apiny a baking course trainee who has initiated a mini‐bakery 

in Soroti town

More Achievements• Farmer processors/Associations attendedAgricultural shows e.g World food programme showat Serere P’IKWI was best exhibitor, Jinja show.• Training by Uganda National Bureau of standards(UNBS) and Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry(MTTI) on hygiene and sanitation.

P’KWI innovations

Development of East African Cassava and sweetpotato standards

• National consultation for East African standardsfor cassava and sweetpotato, Kampala, March 28‐30th 2012 (AfrII/C:AVA, UNBS, Britannia, Makerere,CIP).• Regional harmonisation meeting at Arusha April 2‐4, 2012 (AfrII/C:AVA, Britannia, UNBS, Makerere,CIP to participate).• ASARECA the coordinator and convener.• One of the standards is specifically for HQCF.

Challenges Challenge  How it has been addressedGovernance of associations

‐Involved the District Commercial Officers and Health and Environmental Officers to help streamline the operations of associations as per legal requirements.

•Equity. • Prepared HQCF production rosters involving all groups having time ring‐fenced.• Most paid labour is by women.

• Slow paceof UNBScertification.

• Agreed with Britannia to carry out own quality audit.• Need to use results from other labs e.g UIRI, Makerere and NRI.• Lobbying and advocacy for policies favourable to small scale processors.

Challenges encounteredChallenge How it has been addressedCBSD. ‐Farmers advised to plant Migyera (NASE 3, 4271, NASE 

1 ).‐Partnering with research to verify durable field tolerance of new varieties e.g 4271.

Competition of price with local cassava chips

‐ HQCF is sold in bulk and has a constant upward price.‐Negotiating with end‐users to increase the prices.‐ High price of local Cassava chips increases profitability to farmers.

Labour and capital intensive 

‐Provided oxen and ox‐carts.‐Process using unpaid group labour except for fuel and equipment operations and association commissions.

Challenges continuedChallenge How it has been addressedReliance on weather

‐Maximised processing during Dec‐March dry period with 2 to 3 rounds of sundrying per day.‐Trained farmers in Gari processing to convert HQCF that ferments.

Lessons learnt• Sun drying is a viable cost‐effective dryingmethod for cassava grits.•Pays to have several market segments.• Small scale HQCF processors can support HQCFvalue chain but would need adequate & sustainedcoordination and quality control mechanisms.

Strategy for sustainability, intensification & scaling out

• AfrII is promoting a buy‐in and mainstreaming ofdevelopment of HQCF value chains in thedevelopment plans of public agencies.• Thru Concept notes and MOUs.• Ministry of Finance Planning and EconomicDevelopment (MFPED) import substitution andyouth employment.• Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI)Technology Incubation Centre.

Strategies• NAADS to support HQCF value chain in Kole and Soroti.• Higher and Local governments using Northern UgandaSocial Action Fund (NUSAF) funds to scale out HQCF valuechain in Oyam district.• Non‐governmental organisations such as World Foodprogramme (WFP), World vision, FAO, Africa Farm Radio toscale out HQCF processing in Soroti.• Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries(MAAIF) Seed system strategy to manage CBSD.•This calls for a cassava innovation platform.

Strategies cont’d

• Involve the private sector agencies in theproduction of HQCF.• Strengthen the current associations in terms ofresource mobilization, networking, business skills,marketing and institutional development anddevelop an exit strategy as they transform fromwelfare to commercial entities.

Sights of Uganda

Thank you