Abstract

This study focused on the cassava value added chain; it associated constraints and opportunities faced by small farm holders in Momo, Mezam and Ngoketunjia Divisions of the North West Region of Cameroon. Specifically, the study identifies the various products and by-products of cassava. It determines the cost and benefits of cassava products along the value-added chain, identified the key determinants of cassava production and by- products along the chain. It also identifies the constraints faced, and the associated opportunities abound in the sector for Investment. Two hundred and ten questionnaires were purposively distributed to farmers, drivers, processors and traders, based on availability. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics with the aid of GenStat3 and Microsoft Excel 2013 software complemented  by narration.

The findings showed that there are seven major products of cassava (garri, water fufu, kumkum, chip, miyodo, macala and starch) in the studied area. The total annual revenue of cassava production by the 91 farmers was estimated at 76,652,000 FCFA and the total cost was estimated at 33,170,000 FCFA, giving a gross margin of 43,482,000 FCFA. Prediction of the output of cassava using the multiple regressions was significant with an R2 value of 0.862. Output/ha = 0.252 + 1.987 F + 1.735 T– 0.785D + 1.560 MT+ 2.679 Tr + 1.175 V. Gari processing cost weekly was 4,804,000 FCFA, weekly revenue of 10,140,000FCFA giving a gross margin of 5,336,000FCFA? Constraints faced by farmers included: the poor link between farmers and extension worker, lack of training on the use of improved varieties, pest and diseases, effects of climate, low technology, limited access to land, fluctuation in prices, and perishability of products. Despite these constraints, opportunities exist for small holder farmers in the study area which include; increasing market demands, new government policies to promote smallholders. Because cassava is an important food and commercial source, there is the need to extend study in other areas of the Region.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the study

Cassava (Manihot spp) is a root tuber crop that belongs to the family Euphorbiacae. In the Sub-Sahara African (SSA) region, cassava is an important and cheap source of carbohydrate (FAO, 2004). It is indeed the third largest source of calories in the tropics, after rice and maize (FAO, 2002). Globally, it is a staple for over 600 million people. According to (World Bank, 2012), millions of people depend on cassava in Africa, Asia, and Latin America for food and industrial use. There are two varieties: sweet and bitter cassava (Utilissima and Palmata), depending on the level of toxicity of cyanogenic glucosides. Sweet cassavas are usually consumed directly while bitter cassavas are used as feed or processed into industrial inputs such as starch and chips (Vessia, 2007).

Cameroon is ranked 16th for worldwide cassava production. Cassava is one of the leading crops regarding annual yield both for cash and food crop categories. It contributes 1.7 percent of the GDP (FAOSTAT, 2015). Promoting the production of cassava in Cameroon is one amongst government priorities for increased agricultural productivity (FAOSTAT, 2015). Cassava is cultivated in the East, West, South, South West, Centre and the North West Regions of Cameroon. In the North West Region, cassava is grown in the seven Divisions, namely; Momo, Mezam, Noketunjia, Donga Mantung, Boyo, Bui, and Menchum. The present study focuses on three communities, namely; Bafut (Mezam), Mbengwi (Momo), and Ndop (Ngoketunjia) where cassava cultivation and processing have remained the people’s economic mainstay and a primary source of livelihood.

International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), (2007), notes that a staple food is one that provides a significant proportion of the population’s food and source of income. Cassava serves this function as it can be consumed raw upon maturity or in processed form as garri, water fufu, and more. Cassava has a carbohydrate content of approximately forty times higher than rice and twenty percent more than Maize (Nyerhovwo, 2004). Cassava, therefore, plays a role in the country’s food security and its contribution to the food basket increases significantly when the value chain is well extended.

Value addition plays an important role in the economies of agricultural products. Those with great potentials of processing give additional avenues for improved domestication when recognized and vulgarized. If value is added to cassava, the farmer stands to gain more income like is achieved in Thailand, China and other advanced and industrializing economies. In Cameroon, cassava cultivation and production are concentrated in the hands of resource-poor smallholders who generally cultivate less than 2 hectares of land using rudimentary tools. Most traditional cultivators produce for domestic consumption. A greater percentage of cassava produced in the North West Region is directly consumed with little or no processing and does not meet current demand. Only a small fraction is processed into primary raw materials, and very little into secondary raw materials.

Cassava cultivation and necessary processing is a significant traditional economic activity of people in the North West Region. However, current production is still at the subsistence level with very little secondary and tertiary processing. Cassava is frequently transformed into chips, garri, water fufu, kumkum and cassava flour. The North West people thus have different indigenous knowledge for converting cassava for food. However, few studies have so far determined the quantity of cassava produced and how it is transformed into primary, secondary, and tertiary produce for consumption and industrial uses. As rightly noted by Kawano (2003), identifying the produce chain is an important step for policy interventions because primary produce are often perishable and may rot away. These products are sold at unreasonable prices if they remain in the hands of the farmers for too long. The value chain may vary from place to place. In some cases, the farm produce is carried from the fields by the producers to the markets directly, while in other instances it may go through several stages of processing before the final consumer is reached.

Today, the cassava sector in Cameroon has attracted a lot of research interest (Nagib and Antonio, 2006; Essono et al., 2008; Njukwe et al., 2014). But very few empirical works have paid particular attention to the cassava value added chain. This paucity of scholarly works is, even more, acute in the North West Region, where cassava plays an important socio-economic role. Furthermore, cassava production and transformation involves a lot of participants and events, but few studies have documented the various actors and activities in the cassava production and processing chain. Moreover, cassava production and processing require considerable financial, material and human investment. But cost-benefit analyzes studies to assess production and processing input and corresponding output along the various segments of the cassava production, processing and marketing chain are few. Similarly, there is limited literature on the constraints and opportunities in the cassava subsector in Cameroon. This study, therefore, seeks to enrich the literature on cassava value chain in Cameroon generally and the NW Region in particular.

1.2. Statement of the problem

Trade in cassava and its associated products constitute an important source of livelihood for agricultural dependent households and the lifeblood of some local economies (Lancaster et al., 198). Despite the considerable efforts of farmers, local development organizations, and government, current production levels are very low  and unable to meet current demands (PNDRT, 2005; Njukwe et al., 2014). Although cassava is an essential dietary staple, it has remained a subsistence crop because of its rapid spoilage after  harvest, caused  by an  inadequate/irregular supply to  feed  the  few processing facilities and  inefficient  processing  methods  for  the  market  (Njukwe et al., 2012).

Traditional processing methods of cassava are characterized by high cost and reduced quality, which prevents products of small-holders from entering local or regional markets (Markelova et al., 2009). Ultimately, the harvested cassava is usually sold at farm gate due to its bulky nature and short shelf life; causing significant wastes during harvest periods (Sanni et al., 2010). These post-harvest and market constraints hamper the development of cassava trade (Bakia et al., 1999). Currently, there is increasing interest in interventions that build cassava value chains and at the same time improve the income of smallholder farmers. Unfortunately, smallholders cassava processing in Momo, Mezam and Ngoketunjia Divisions, as leaders in cassava production in the NW Region is characterized by technical, financial, institutional and infrastructural setbacks which adversely affect the sector (Njukwe et al., 2014). Therefore, there is the need for information about the feasibility of raising cassava as a commercial crop in Cameroon. Hence, the documentation of challenges and opportunities can enhance the existing literature on how to improve the production and trade of cassava products and its by-products.

1.3. Objectives of the study

The overall objective is to assess the cassava value added chain; the constraints and opportunities of smallholder farmers in the North West region of Cameroon.

1.3.1.   Specific objectives

1. To identify the various products and by-products of cassava sector in the NW Region.
2. To determine the cost and benefits of the cassava value added chain in the NW Region.
3. To identify the key determinants of cassava productions that influences the output of the cassava chain in the NW Region.
4. To identify the constraints faced and the associated opportunities abound in the cassava value chain in the NW Region.

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