Abstract
Cassava is one of the important root and tuber crops grown for food in West and Central Africa. This paper examines the determinants of demand for cassava, and ascertains its future in northern Nigeria by estimating the elasticity of demand for cassava and other root and tuber crops. The Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model was employed to estimate the parameters. Results show that demand for cassava is price-inelastic. The expenditure elasticity is found to be positive, though inelastic. This witnesses the transformation of cassava from an inferior food to a necessity. Because of its storability and ease of processing, gari, the processed form of cassava, is becoming the most popular form in which cassava is consumed. Cassava, often regarded as a poor man's food with low nutritional value, is an excellent source of dietary energy, and as such it should not be considered solely a subsistence crop.
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