fbpx

In Tanzania, more profitable cassava through value-added processing

A farmer group in FRB’s Tanzania-Sengerema program is processing freshly-harvested cassava (a starchy tuber) into clean, high-quality flour, and packaging it on-site. The 82-member group, including 44 women, is satisfying the high demand for the product at market, and bringing in good income.The group grows, harvests and peels the cassava, grates it and presses out the moisture using a machine designed and made by local entrepreneurs from the Sengerema Informal Sector Association (SISA), and picks out woody fibers as the grated cassava dries in the sun for two hours.

When the moisture content is below 10%, it is milled into flour with another SISA-made machine, and bagged. The finished product can be used immediately, or stored for up to a year. With SISA’s help, the group has obtained certification for labelling their packages, and can now sell its flour in commercial markets in nearby towns, which further increases profits.

« Return

×