Starch
is an important raw material that is widely used in the food, textile, paper
and pharmaceutical industries. Interestingly, recent a research by the Food and
Agricultural Organisation shows that almost all starch varieties can be
replaced with cassava starch.
In
its latest report on the Global Cassava Market Study, published in
www.fao.org/dorcrep, the FAO declares that global demand for cassava starch
will increase at an annual rate of 3.1 per cent, while regional growth rates
are expected to rise by 4.2 per cent in Asia; 3.4 per cent in Latin America;
and 2.3 per cent in Africa.
The
report notes, Local processing of native
cassava starch is an attractive option because it offers a means of converting
a relatively low cost raw material into a high value product, which can readily
substitute for imported starch.
The
market opportunity for cassava starch exists in every country that is consuming
more starch in various industrial processes.
Currently,
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, with production capacity
estimated at over 49 million metric tonnes per annum. Experts say that the
Federal Governments makes cassava starch processing a worthwhile venture for
any entrepreneur.
The
National President, Cassava Produce Promoters and Exporters Association of
Nigeria, Mr. Markus Magaji, says small and medium scale entrepreneurs are
currently investing in various cassava starch processing projects across the
country due to availability of raw materials, with prospects of high returns on
investment.
He
says, Today, cassava starch is in high demand in the country. A lot of people
are building cassava processing plants across the country. Due to the high
prospects, in terms of returns on investment, most of them are acquiring more
machines to expand their existing facilities.
National
President, Nigerian Cassava Processors and Marketers Association, Mr. Ayo
Olubori, also notes that the growing interest in cassava starch processing is
as a result of the wide application of the product, which lends to its
profit-generating potential.
According
to him, investment opportunities in starch production go beyond the shores of
Nigeria.
Investors
and government agencies from West African countries are already wooing
entrepreneurs in Nigeria to their countries. Nigeria is undoubtedly more
advanced than many other African countries in cassava starch processing. The
recent lifeline given to the textile industry will further boost cassava starch
production in Nigeria, Olubori says.
He
says that the technology for processing cassava starch is affordable and can be
sourced within the country, adding that functional cassava starch processing
machines are currently being fabricated locally.
The
main challenges, according to him include insufficient land for cassava
cultivation in commercial quantity, limited funding sources and poor power
supply, which may raise its cost of production.
He,
however, stresses that the choice of equipment, factory location and supply of
raw materials and scale of production are critical factors that must be
considered before investing in the business.
Olubori
says, A large cassava starch plant requires about 250 tonnes of freshly
harvested cassava per day, while a mini plant requires about 20 tonnes per day.
Both scales have the potential of producing the same quality. The yield is,
however, a function of the age of cassava, variety of cassava, season of
production (dry or wet season) and, of course, the efficiency of the equipment.
Such a plant is usually fully automated, sometimes with computer controlled
devices. Hence, total quality requirement is easier to manage.
The
processing, he explains will involve washing, destoning, rasping, wet particle
size separation, drying and dry particle size separation (which is optional).
It will also undergo cooling, bagging, weighing and stacking.
All
these processes are automated. Processing, which could be fragmented into
units, is essentially characterised by a combination of manual and mechanical
methods, he says.
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