The Economic Benefits Of Cassava Cultivation In Nigeria

Cassava, also known as yuca or manioc, is a staple food in many parts of the world. It is high in sugars and starchy carbohydrates, which makes it an important source of energy for those who do not have access to nutritious foods or cannot grow their own crops.

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Cassava can be grown in areas where there are excessive amounts of rainfall during the growing season and where there are higher temperatures during the summer months due to its root being able to store water from raindrops.

Cassava provides essential protein in a balanced diet. Although cassava is a staple food crop in many parts of the world, its nutritional value has not been fully appreciated. Cassava is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and thiamin; however, it contains little iron and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Nigeria, among other nations of the world, is the highest producer of Cassava with an annual output of 59 million tonnes. The reason for that isn’t farfetched and can be attributed to the increasing internal demand as well as the availability of organized markets.

Cassava compared to grains survives in harsh conditions which equally piles up its huge output per year. Additionally, being among the cheap food staples gotten nationwide, Cassava is mostly found in various homes in Nigeria. Although, in some cases, it’s converted to different food staples, for example, are.

It’s important to note that, the main people that see to the successful cultivation and processing of Cassava are women. In the whole of the southeast region of Nigeria, about 67% of women cultivate effort for the planting, harvesting, and processing of the crop.

The same goes for the southwest and the central region where 58% of women play a pertinent role to see the production and processing of Cassava.

The availability of essential nutrients in Cassava, aids in improving one’s health. Most importantly, the processing of cassava in Nigeria has increasingly improved the country’s economy.

Here are a few economical benefits of Cassava cultivation in Nigeria.

 It Provides Food Security

The growing population of Nigerians as a whole has brought about too much food insecurity both in rural and urban areas. However, with the increment in the production and processing of Cassava, the whole population has been reliant on cassava products for survival.

An Evidence of these products is the availability of garri in various home country wide which is downed using different methods either by soaking or in the form of swallow. With the affordable price of this staple food, masses that survives on little income uses that to purchase any of the available Cassava products.

Overtime, this has helped to mitigate the growing number of malnutrition cases in different parts of the country and Africa as a whole.

Aware of the crop’s capability of surviving lightyear, peasants in rural areas endeavors to get small farmlands where they can cultivate a small quantity that can serve their family. 

Increases Family’s  Income

Being a labor-intensive process, cassava cultivation requires a large number of workers whose combined efforts can be utilized in the planting process.

Women in the Southern parts of Nigeria who plays a crucial role in the production and processing of Cassava always generate income from the crop which they put on sale in the market or through the middlemen who further disperse it to the consumers.

Therefore, this elevates the income for rural households as most of these farmers reside in rural areas. With the availability of cash in various households, there are chances of spending which therefore leads to the circulation of money in the country.

However, according to Nigeria’s  minister of industries, trade, and investments, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, he said that ” Cassava and oil palm are strategic commodities in our quest for growth and development of the non-oil sector of our economy.”

If Nigeria will fully refocus her mind on exporting Cassava we have a chance of improving our economy. However, the federal government once stated that if they are to indulge in exporting about 45 metric tonnes of Cassava yearly, the revenue they are bound to generate will clock approximately $18 million which will give the economy a great boost.

Provision Of Employment

Unemployment is one problem that has plagued Nigeria since the attention shifted from an agro-based economy to oil mining. At that, the teeming youth engages themselves in various social vices that warranted the current insecurity issues raining in Nigeria.

This attention shift from agriculture that began during the era of the oil boom in the 1970s is the remote cause and government officials have done little to curb the problem.

However, by retracting our steps back to agriculture such as planting cassava which itself generates massive revenue, the rate of unemployment in Nigeria will decline.

Cassava being a very lucrative crop will create job opportunities for youth looking for places to fix themselves and actualize their potential.

To achieve this, the government should adopt favorable policies, especially a land lease policy, and the local and potential farmers should not base on subsistent farming but also engage in international trade using the cultivated crops.

Use for Production

The good thing about Cassava crop is that it is used in the production of assorted commodities.  In that case, it can be seen as a derived demand. The availability of starch in cassava, which is one of the plentiful substances in nature are utilized in producing commodities such as confectioneries, beverages, textiles, food, paper, building materials, etc.

This cassava starch has various characteristics such as high viscosity, high free-thaw stability, and high paste clarity which enables various industries across the globe to utilize it in the production process.

Serves As Feed To Livestock

There’s no denying the fact that Nigeria’s livestock sector like other African countries aids in boosting the country’s economy. Statistically, Nigeria’s GDP had a great boost by the third part of 2022 by  1.55 percent.  compared to the exact time of the previous years. 

Moreover, research already proved that Cassava waste serves as feed to livestock in the country. Of course, this livestock provides a source of livelihood to rural dwellers and also serves as a source of food security for the whole nation. Additionally, the livestock’s waste serves as manure for crops.

Conclusion on

Cassava is a very important crop for people in Nigeria, who use it as food and also for other purposes. It has high economic benefits in Nigeria and therefore, the country should ensure that enough cassava is produced so that any deficiency of supply will not affect the economy.

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