Cassava peel processing factory under construction in Benue State, Nigeria (photo credit: ILRI / Yinka Olasusi).
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, with a yearly output of about 50 million tonnes and a production increase of about 3% yearly.
Presently, about 25 million tonnes of fresh cassava roots are used for garri (a popular West African food made out of cassava tubers), 6 million tonnes for local food products, 1.5 million tonnes for production of dried chips and 3.5 million tonnes are lost to wastage before or during peeling and processing the tuber. This annual amount of cassava production is projected to increase to up to 150 million tonnes by 2020.
Cassava processing generates cassava peels, stumps and undersized or damaged tubers, which together account for up to a third of processed whole-tuber weight. Cassava peels are perishable and are mostly disposed of by burning or allowing them to rot in heaps, causing pollution. In 2015, CGIAR scientists developed low-tech ways of rapidly transforming wet cassava peels into high-quality, safe and hygienic feed ingredients. The process is simple and can be carried out by small-scale processors, more than 80% of them women, to transform cassava waste into a valuable feed resource, generate new incomes, create jobs, improve livelihoods and clean up the environment around cassava processing centres.
Now, in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the global non-governmental organization Synergos and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are implementing this innovative processing technology for converting fresh peels into high-quality cassava peel mash for use as livestock feed.
Synergos and IFAD obtained technical support from ILRI Nigeria’s scientific team to train people in cassava processing procedures and to set up cassava processing factories in the country. In Jul 2017, representatives from these three organizations paid visits to two IFAD-Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) cassava processing sites in Nigeria, one in Niger State (Lokogoma, Wushishi local government area) and the other in Benue State (Idogodo, Okpokwu local government area). The cassava peel factories, which were set up by IFAD-VCDP, are to be jointly owned by 10 producer organizations and 4 women processing groups.
In addition to Synergos, ILRI and IFAD-VCDP staff, Soko-nya-nyio Lokogoma women processors and Lokogoma and Idogodo community members took an active part in these visits and the discussions that ensued. The following were among the topics they discussed.
- Current uses of cassava peel in the Lokogoma community
- Source of raw materials for production of cassava peel animal feed
- How innovations in processing cassava peels for animal feed have impacted the livelihoods of women and farmers
- The viability and potential of utilizing cassava peel waste for livestock feed
- Possible markets for cassava-peel animal feeds in Niger State
Development of this cassava-peel-for-livestock-feed project is highly promising and its progress is being closely followed by crop and livestock specialists alike as well as by donor organizations, such as the United States Agency for International Development, which is also supporting this cassava processing potential.
Yinka Olasusi and the cassava processors in Niger state in front of the cassava peel processing factory (photo credit: ILRI/Yinka Olasusi).
This cassava project is funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB).
Read more about this cassava project:
Scaling the use of cassava peels as quality livestock feed in Africa, ILRI Research Proposal Summary, Oct 2015.
Fragments d’ILRI : Traiter la peau du manioc, pour un milliard de dollars, 4 Jan 2016
Processing African cassava peels, potentially a billion dollar business, ILRI News blog, 26 Nov 2015.
Cassava processors visit ILRI cassava peel processing unit, 26 Nov 2015
All flesh is grass (except in Nigeria, where it might be cassava peel), 10 Aug 2015
ILRI promotes use of cassava peels as animal feed to DR Congo officials, 14 Jul 2015
From food waste to animal feed, cassava peels potentially big business for Nigerian women, 9 Jul 2015
Cassava processors visit ILRI cassava peel processing unit in Nigeria POST, 18 Feb 2015
ILRI news 
Am working to turn the cassava peels into pellets for pig feeds in southern part of Nigeria, Ogun state. The pellets will be fortified with PKC
Reblogged this on Dr. B. A. Usman's Blog.
This is good job please can send me the drawing for this machines I mean the PDF format or do produce this grinder for sale in Nigeria
I am interested in buying this product for chicken feed production. How can I get it and what is your price per Kg.
Dear All,
This is fantastic project. I did read every single article I could find online about it, inclusive all the videos on youtube. I would very great full to come in contact with the managers for this project? If anyone could lead me in the right direction, would be great. I plan to build same kind of project here in Indonesia, and their advice and expertise would be worth a lot for me at this initial planning stage.
This project is a formidable one that can provide jobs for many Nigerian youths still roaming about also there some serious cassava farmers the support this loudable project let ILRI extend this to South Western Nigeria especially Oyo,Ogun,Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State where cassava farmers are many
PLS WHERE CAN I GET CASSAVA PEELS CRUSHER TO BUY. THANKS
I need to be a supplier how can one get contact to sale his/her products,how long can it stays before it will be rejected and how much is the price of 50kg. Please I need to be a partner.
Going through the video on YouTube I was very pleased to see what more we can do to deal with the wastes generated from cassava and increase the income of the farmers.
However am very interested in setting up a factory for this purpose in Delta State but will need your support in set up, training and a market for the produce.
I will appreciate a prompt reply as to how you could be of help
I am interested in the HQCP fine mash. please i need the contact of any producer around me. i am located at Epe in Lagos state
Pm me
am a producer of HQCP i base in ogbomosho
This is wonderful innovation. How can I be trained and how do I get these machines? I am in a neighbourhood in Ogun where their occupation is garri but ignorant of the cassava peel transformation.