Cassava Industry Research Articles

A local-level agricultural transformation in the making? The case of the cassava industry in the Ashanti and Volta regions of Ghana

ABSTRACT In sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is recognized as one of the countries undergoing rapid economic transformation. Drawing on an agricultural transformation framework, this study sheds light on the current farm and nonfarm developments in the cassava subsector in five communities across four districts in Ghana. Using a qualitative exploratory research design based on field-work surveys, the study identifies several factors that together showcase manifestations of a transformation process in the studied areas. These include a combination of growing farm sizes, use of new technologies, higher productivity, expanding market opportunities, increased profitability, improved lives and livelihoods, and changing labour structures. These micro-level findings allow the study to offer a richer understanding of dynamics of change underway that could complement macro-oriented analyses of agricultural transformation in Africa.

Isolated cassava cells: Comparison of structure and physicochemical properties with starch and whole flour

Individual cells are the smallest units of the plant tissue structure, and their structure and physicochemical properties are essential for whole food processing. In this study, cassava cells were isolated using acid-alkali, hydrothermal, and pectinase methods, and the differences in microstructure and physicochemical properties among the cells, starch, and whole flour were investigated. Cassava cells isolated using pectinase showed intact individual cells with a higher isolation rate and less damage to the cell wall structure and intracellular composition. The presence of cell walls in intact individual cells inhibited the swelling and leaching of starch, resulting in a lower peak viscosity and higher gelatinization temperature than those of starch. The intact cell structure and non-starch composition enhanced the shear resistance of the gels in the sample. Heat treatment led to the gelatinization of intracellular starch and increased the permeability of the cell wall, destroying the physical barrier function of the cell wall; however, the compact cell matrix and non-starch components can inhibit starch hydrolysis. This study suggests that cells isolated using pectinase can be used to investigate the effect of cell walls on the functional properties of intracellular starch in cassava. The isolated cells provide new insights into the cassava industry.

Reduction of cassava mosaic geminiviruses from infected stem cuttings using salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide and hot water treatment

AbstractCassava mosaic disease (CMD) causes significant losses in cassava production in Africa. The disease is caused by several cassava mosaic geminiviruses (CMGs) and spread through the use of infected plant materials. The infected plants remain infected throughout their vegetative lifecycle as the disease cannot be controlled by standard plant protection measures. Therefore, it is important to develop inexpensive field‐based methods that can be easily adopted by small‐scale farmers to sanitize geminiviruses‐infected stem cuttings used as planting material. This study aimed at eliminating CMGs from infected cassava stem cuttings by use of salicylic acid (SA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hot water (HW) treatments. Eight varieties of CMD‐infected stem cuttings were pretreated with SA (1.25, 2.5 and 5 mM), H2O2 (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%) or hot water (50 and 55°C) at different exposure times before establishment in the glasshouse for evaluation of subsequent plant growth and geminivirus detection. Based on the cassava varieties used for the different treatments, treatment with hot water at 50°C for 5 min and 1.0% H2O2 for 12 h were the most effective in eliminating CMGs with an efficiency of 81.7% and 77.8%, respectively. Salicylic acid at a concentration of 5 mM for 6 h eliminated the viruses in 65.1% of the cuttings. The methods tested herein have the potential for producing planting materials with significantly reduced CMD risk for smallholder farmers and the cassava industry to meet their increasing demand. It could also contribute to the global exchange of germplasm for conservation and breeding programs.

Valorization of agro-industrial waste from the cassava industry as esterified cellulose butyrate for polyhydroxybutyrate-based biocomposites.

The aim of this study was to utilize cassava pulp to prepare biocomposites comprising microcrystalline cellulose from cassava pulp (CP-MCC) as a filler and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesized in-house by Cupriavidus necator strain A-04. The CP-MCC was extracted from fresh cassava pulp. Next, the CP-MCC surface was modified with butyryl chloride (esterified to CP-MCC butyrate) to improve dissolution and compatibility with the PHB. FTIR results confirmed that the esterified CP-MCC butyrate had aliphatic chains replacing the hydroxyl groups; this substitution increased the solubilities in acetone, chloroform, and tetrahydrofuran. Biocomposite films were prepared by varying the composition of esterified CP-MCC butyrate as a filler in the PHB matrix at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 100 wt%. The results for the 95:5 and 90:10 CP-MCC butyrate biocomposite films showed that esterification led to improvements in the thermal properties and increased tensile strengths and elongations at break. All prepared biocomposite films maintained full biodegradability.

Isolation and Identification of Endophytic Bacteria Bacillus sp. ME9 That Exhibits Biocontrol Activity against Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis.

In recent years, the bacterial blight of cassava has caused substantial economic losses to the Chinese cassava industry. Chemical control methods have become the primary approach to control this disease; however, their widespread usage and harmful residues have raised concerns about environmental pollution. In order to avoid this, it is urgent to seek a green ecological method to prevent and control it. Biological control through the utilization of microorganisms not only effectively inhibits the disease, but also gives consideration to environmental friendliness. Therefore, investigating an endophytic biological control method for cassava bacterial blight is of great importance. In this study, cassava leaf tissues were used as test specimens in order to isolate endophytic bacteria by using dilution and separation methods. Bacillus ME9, derived from cassava endophytic bacteria, exhibits good antagonism against a diverse range of pathogens, including Xpm11. Its genome consists of a series of genes encoding antibacterial lipopeptides, which may be directly related to its antibacterial capabilities. Furthermore, inoculation resulted in a substantial change in the diversity of the endophytic bacterial community, characterized by improved diversity, and displayed an obvious inhibition of pathogenic bacterial growth, demonstrating successful colonization within plants. The results laid a foundation and provided theoretical support for the development and utilization of cassava endophytic bacterial diversity and endogenous disease control strategies.

Spraying chitosan on cassava roots reduces postharvest deterioration by promoting wound healing and inducing disease resistance

Postharvest damage makes cassava roots vulnerable to pathogen infections and decay, which significantly hinders the development of the cassava industry. The objective of this study was to assess the antibacterial properties of chitosan in vitro, as well as its effect on wound healing and resistance in cassava roots. The findings demonstrated that the bacteriostatic effect of chitosan became increasingly prominent as the concentration of chitosan enhanced. Chitosan at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL was revealed to significantly inhibit the germination of P. palmivora spores and damage to their structure. Moreover, chitosan activated the transcription of crucial genes and enzyme activities associated with the phenylpropane metabolism pathway in cassava roots, thus promoting rapid lignin accumulation and resulting in the early formation of a fracture layer. Chitosan was also found to enhance cassava root resistance by promoting the expression of pathogenesis-related proteins and the accumulation of flavonoids and total phenols. After 48 h of inoculation, cassava roots treated with chitosan exhibited a 51.4 % and 53.4 % decrease in lesion area for SC9 and SC6 varieties, respectively. The findings of this study offer a novel approach for managing postharvest deterioration of cassava roots.

Removal of free cyanide in dry-milled cassava flour using atmospheric nonthermal plasma treatment

The primary concern for the cassava industry is reducing hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the final product to a level that meets the Codex standard. Wet milling and drying to produce cassava starch can reduce cyanide compounds to levels that are safe for human consumption and meet international regulations, but at a high cost in terms of water. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of atmospheric nonthermal (ANT) plasma treatment on the removal of free cyanide from dry-milled cassava flour, as well as other physical and chemical properties. To generate cold plasma, helium was used as the feed gas in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. The results show that the first-order kinetic model can explain the fraction degradation of cyanide by ANT plasma. The rate of HCN fraction removal increased from 0.0116 min−1 to 0.0453 min−1 and 0.0119 min−1 to 0.0349 min−1 with increasing voltage level (10–20 kV) when the initial HCN were 143 ± 7 and 233 ± 5 mg kg−1 dw, respectively. The 20 kV-15 min ANT plasma treatment of cassava flour containing 143 ± 7 mg kg−1 dw reduced 35.7% of HCN without affecting starch crystallinity, protein, fiber, fat, or moisture content, but significantly changed the pasting properties (P < 0.05).

Incidence, distribution, and genetic diversity of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae’-related strain (16SrVIII) associated with the cassava witches' broom (CWB) disease in the Philippines

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is widely grown in the Philippines mainly for human consumption, animal feed, and industrial purposes. However, the cassava industry is recently challenged by the cassava witches' broom (CWB) disease which is known to be caused by phytoplasmas. The extent of the disease and the causal phytoplasma strain in the country are not known until this study. Surveys in major cassava areas in the Philippines conducted from 2017 to 2019 revealed that CWB is present in 13 out of 19 provinces assessed in this study, with symptoms ranging from leaf proliferation, little leaf, shortened internodes, stunted growth, discoloration of the vascular system, and small tubers. Molecular detection (through nested PCR) and sequence analysis of phytoplasma 16S ribosomal RNA gene from CWB-infected plants showed high genetic similarity of >98.65% to Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae 16SrVIII. In addition, the 18 phytoplasma isolates from five provinces successfully grouped to Ca. Phytoplasma luffae 16SrVIII clade in the constructed phylogenetic tree. Analysis on the genetic diversity and structure of Ca. Phytoplasma luffae 16SrVIII sequences from cassava and other host plant species revealed low genetic diversity indices and a rudimentary genetic structure with high haplotype diversity. Meanwhile, neutrality tests showed evidence of recent population expansion in Ca. Phytoplasma luffae 16SrVIII. This is the first study to identify ‘Ca. Phytoplasma luffae’-related strain (16SrVIII) as the causal pathogen of CWB in the Philippines. The information generated in this study can help in better understanding the etiology of the disease and in formulating proper and effective strategies to detect and manage the disease in the Philippines.

Flavonoid accumulation modulates the responses of cassava tuberous roots to postharvest physiological deterioration

Postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) caused by wounding is one of the main constraints that affect the development of cassava industry. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the PPD are unknown. In the present study the adaptive response to wound stress was analyzed in combination with transcriptome and metabolome in four kinds of PPD phenomenon from cassava tuberous roots. The results indicated that starch, β-carotene, (-)-epigallocatechin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and L-epicatechin were altered in the wounded tuberous roots. Moreover, the ROS scavenging system was activated at the PPD preliminary stage. Transcriptome analysis further showed that the strongly induced genes were mainly related to carbohydrate metabolism, signal transduction, and polyketide metabolism. Twenty-eight differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the flavonoid pathway were preferably enriched. The relative quantitative analysis of seventeen genes demonstrated that they were responsive to PPD. Fifty-one differential flavonoid metabolites were detected in widely targeted metabolome profile, among which, luteolin, kaempferol, (-) epicatechin, phloretin, and naringenin were enhanced during PPD. The virus-induced gene silencing of MeCHS3 and MeANR showed that tuberous roots changed tolerance to PPD, and the total flavonoid and anthocyanin contents in leaves were changed. Therefore, the candidate genes and metabolites in flavonoid pathways could participate in PPD regulation. In addition, a proposed model was generated to elaborate the response mechanism of flavonoids under wounding stress, thus providing a future direction for breeding PPD-tolerant cultivars of cassava.

Understanding the changes of phenylpropanoid metabolism and lignin accumulation in wounded cassava root during postharvest storage

The postharvest deterioration of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) root which was caused by the wounds has severely hampered the development of the cassava industry. In this study, the deterioration rate and weight loss, the transcription and enzyme activity of key genes in the phenylpropane metabolism, and the accumulation of lignin and suberin were examined during wound healing of cassava root. The results showed that the deterioration rate and weight loss of cassava-resistant variety SC9 were 4.1 and 1.8 times lower than those of the susceptible SC6 on the seventh day of storage. The activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) of SC9 were significantly higher on the seventh day than at 0 h. By contrast with SC6, SC9 deposited a large amount of lignin and suberin in the wound site. The structural characteristics of wound healing tissues were analyzed by microscopic observation, revealing that the healing reaction of cassava roots prevented the penetration of toluidine blue and pathogen infection. The expression changes of genes related to the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway and the accumulation of lignin during wound self-healing provide new ideas for solving postharvest deterioration of cassava roots.

Structural Equation Modeling of Food Safety Standard in the Cassava Industry in Thailand

Food safety is becoming more important in Thailand, especially when the country officially joins the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in the year 2015. In this study, key food safety factors and their associated items were mainly extracted from the two international food safety standards: the HACCP and the GMP standards. The questionnaire survey was used to collect data from cassava manufacturers for the exploratory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling. The analysis results revealed seven key factors in enhancing food safety standards: 1) Management, 2) Man, 3) Environment, 4) Material-Related, 5) Method, 6) Machine, and 7) Raw Material. The structural equation modelling results revealed causal relationships among the seven key factors. It was found that the Management factor is the most important factor in enhancing food safety standard in Thailand as it influences all other factors, both directly and indirectly. Management should, hence, set up realistic food safety policies, assign appropriate safety responsibility to the lower levels, and provide adequate necessary resources to improve food safety in the cassava industry.

Impacts of the Extension of Cassava Soil Conservation and Efficient Technology on the Reduction of Chemical Fertilizer Input in China

The reduction of fertilizer inputs can be considered as an effective policy tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12 and for reaching carbon neutrality. In this study, we examine the impact of the extension of cassava (Manihot sculenta) soil conservation and efficiency (SCE) technology on the cost of chemical fertilizers used by China’s cassava industry. The SCE technology was developed by a Technology Integration and Demonstration (TID) Project of China’s National Key R&amp;D Program, which is an innovative and official channel of agriculture technology extension. Based on data collected from cassava farmers in Guiping, Guangxi, China, the differences-in-differences with propensity score matching (PSM-DID) approach was conducted in this study. We found that farmers participating in the cassava SCE technology project reported a reduction in fertilizer costs per mu (15 mu = 1 ha) of approximately 24.0%. Consequently, the results demonstrate that the government can increase the number of TID projects in order to reduce chemical fertilizer inputs and to encourage the sustainable development of agriculture.

Advances in Genetic Analysis and Breeding of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz): A Review.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the sixth most important food crop and consumed by 800 million people worldwide. In Africa, cassava is the second most important food crop after maize and Africa is the worlds’ largest producer. Though cassava is not one of the main commodity crops in South Africa, it is becoming a popular crop among farming communities in frost-free areas, due to its climate-resilient nature. This necessitated the establishment of a multi-disciplinary research program at the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa. The objective of this review is to highlight progress made in cassava breeding and genetic analysis. This review highlights the progress of cassava research worldwide and discusses research findings on yield, quality, and adaptability traits in cassava. It also discusses the limitations and the prospects of the cassava R&D program towards development of the cassava industry in South Africa.

Kinetics of moisture loss applied to the baking of snacks with pregelatinized cassava starch.

Moisture loss kinetics is a complex process defined as the liquid removal from a solid by thermal application. The purposes of the study were to obtain kinetic curves of moisture loss during the baking of cassava snacks and establish which processes govern the moisture loss, recognize which mathematical models describe the moisture loss curves more precisely, and determine activation energy (Ea) and effective diffusivity (Deff ). Experimental data were obtained through baking at four temperatures formulations for snacks with different dehydrated cassava puree (DCP) proportions. Page's and Chávez Méndez's models showed the best fits. We calculated Deff and Ea employing the analytical solution of Fick's Second Law for the geometry of plane plates. Deff values increase with DCP but did not show a trend. The range found was from 5.22E-06 to 2.93E-05 m2 /s. The results of Ea showed that the mixture of flours produced an increase in the energy necessary to initiate the effective diffusion (24.84kJ/mol)comparedtothe samples without mixing (15.54kJ/mol). Moisture loss curves show that the diffusion process governs a large part of the process. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Given the need to increase research for the development of the cassava industry, which currently has low competitiveness compared to less expensive products such as corn, various efforts are being made to generate new products that can replace wheat flour, at least in part. However, it is necessary to research how this substitution affects the various steps of the production system, including baking. During baking, one of the most significant processes is moisture loss. In this sense, the kinetic modeling of the moisture loss process parameters is mainly helpful in the food industry. The mathematical models of moisture loss processes are used to design new or improved baking systems or even control the process.

Economic and environmental analysis of waste-based bioenergy integration into industrial cassava starch processes in Africa

This study assessed the economic and environmental performances of cassava waste bioenergy (CWB) [bioelectricity, thermal energy for starch drying (TESD)] generation in cassava starch facilities (CSF) using cassava stems (CS) and cassava starch wastewater (CWW) in the contexts of seven leading cassava growing countries in Africa (Angola, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania). The CWB scheme consists of Aspen Plus® simulated process for converting the CS and biogas obtained from anaerobic digestion of CWW from a 200 t starch/d CSF using a steam boiler/steam turbo-generator technology that resulted in energy self-sufficient CSF plus surplus power of 26.36 MW. The economic assessment included profitability analysis for alternate scenarios of bioelectricity prices [grid price (0.018–0.163 US$/kWh) vs bioenergy price higher than the grid's by 20%] and CS prices [diesel (5.5–29.4 US$/GJ) vs wood fuel (7.7 US$/GJ) equivalents]. The environmental assessment involved SimaPro® based gate-to-gate life cycle analysis for the CWB vs fossil energy scenarios (FES) [fuel-oil based heat & diesel-oil based electricity]. Grid prices were low for viability of the CWBs for all countries. Only Cameroon and Malawi displayed profitability under the low-cost CS plus bioenergy price scenario. Compared to the FES, except for freshwater eutrophication & ecotoxicity and water consumption, the CWB could mitigate various environmental impacts by ≈42–99%. Grid tariffs designed to recover fixed and variable costs, and feed-in-tariffs that reflect the environmental savings vs the fossils, are essential for viability of the CWBs. Considering the erratic supplies of grid power and fossil fuels in SSA due to unsustainable government policies (e.g. subsidies on grid power or fossil fuels), the CWBs could be promising alternative for energy security for stable CSF operations. At the global level, the CWBs could enhance the net environmental profiles of CSFs via the incorporated circular economy strategy of recovering waste resources (CS energy, liquid digestate and boiler ash) for reuse in the cassava cultivation and processing industries vs the current waste management scheme (i.e. anaerobic digestion of CWW for biogas for TESD generation while the liquid digestate is disposed into watercourses and CS is burnt on farms). Thus, implementation of the CWBs and austere sustainable energy policies could be promising for sustainability enhancement in cassava industries.

Impact of Electromagnetic Field on Bacterial Population and Physicochemical Properties of Cassava Wastewater

The release of industrial wastewaters into the environment is a major source of toxic contaminants causing global health and environmental challenges. This study aimed to investigate the impact of electromagnetic field (EMF) treatment on bacterial population and physicochemical characteristics of cassava wastewater. Cassava wastewater sample was collected from point source of a small-scale cassava industry in Akure, Nigeria. Sample was thereafter treated with EMF of varying intensities (70- 130nT) and bacterial population and physicochemical properties of raw and treated wastewater sample were determined using standard microbiological, physical and chemical analytical techniques. Results revealed a total bacterial count of 1.34 x 105cfu/ ml. Identity of bacterial genera isolated from wastewater were Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi (Gram negative) while the Gram positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus sp. Results also revealed that treatment of wastewater sample with EMF significantly reduced the bacterial load and physicochemical parameters of the sample and dependent on EMF intensity and duration of exposure. Results revealed a decline in bacterial population from 1.34 x 105- 1.0 x 104 at intensities of 70nT-130nT and exposure time of 0- 144hr with the lowest count obtained at 130nT and the highest at 70nT. This study concludes that the use of Electromagnetic Field holds promise as an effective, non-invasive and eco-friendly strategy to improve the physical, chemical and biological quality of wastewater before discharge into the environment.

The linkage among the agribusiness system cassava industrialization in trenggalek regency, east java, indonesia

The development of agricultural industrialization of cassava is not much running with the maximum because of the unprecedented synchronization between consumer wishes and goods produced by manufacturers. The purpose of this research was to analyze the elements’ linkages among agribusiness subsystems to encourage the success of cassava industrialization. The results showed that the linkage between agribusiness subsystems of cassava had not been applied optimally. It was because the cassava commodity was still positioned as a side crop by farmers. In addition, the industrialization of cassava required the coordination and linkage of the information that has been upstream and downstream. Thus, the input subsystem, production subsystem, and marketing subsystem must be observed by farmers to increase income.

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTIC OF BROWNIES FROM MOCAF AND GREEN BEAN FLOUR

The development of local food is one of the programs being promoted by the ministry of agriculture and as an effort to diversify food in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic. One of the local food commodities developed was cassava. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency related to cassava productivity in Indonesia (2014 – 2018) it was in the range of 229.51 – 246.50 tons/year. the average percentage of flour consumption per capita from 2014 –2018 is 19.92%. In addition, the cassava industry had also begun to develop, namely the processing of cassava into Modified Cassava Flour (Mocaf). Organoleptically, the value of Mocaf (in terms of aroma and taste) was almost equivalent to wheat. One way to control the value of imported flour is by developing products based on local food ingredients. Based on this, local food preparations based on modified cassava flour were developed, namely mocaf and fortified green bean flour as a source of protein. Processed products from cassava and green bean are able to substitute the use of flour 10-100%. This study aims to determine the effect of MOCAF formulation and green bean flour on the organoleptic characteristics of brownies. The flour formulations used for the four treatments (MOCAF wheat flour and green bean flour) were based on the ratio of the composition of each flour. Furthermore, observations were made on the organoleptic characteristics of roasted brownies consisting of color, scent, texture, taste and after taste. Organoleptic test involved 30 untrained panelists using the hedonic method. Organoleptic test results illustrate that the overall product is acceptable, both in terms of taste, aroma, color, texture and after taste. In treatment A, which is brownies with a composition ratio of flour, mocaf and green bean flour (1:3:0), the panelists are generally preferable. In Treatment C, brownies with a composition ratio of flour, mocaf and green bean flour (1:2.33:0.75) only tasted better by the panelists. This indicates that the panelists prefer the addition of green bean flour less than mocaf.

The Urgency of Institutional Development of Cassava Industry in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta and Jawa Tengah

The study shows that there was variation in the process of cassava-based food production. In Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY) and Central Java, the farming systems were still subsistence oriented as the members still carried out traditional farming and worked without practicing intensive farming. However, the cassava-based food processing had already been commercially oriented. Some farmers have successfully collaborated with the larger cassava industry who were profit and commercially oriented. Some agribusiness units required specific varieties, but others opened to any varieties of cassava. The various arrangements have created different patterns of partnership. There were three types of business partnerships namely (1) growers and small-scale manufacturers; (2) partnership among growers, raw material processors, food manufacturers, and distributors or sellers; and (3) partnership among growers, small or large manufacturers and distributors or sellers. Among those three patterns, some enterprises had already performed a business-oriented processing method and quality assurance which requires best quality of raw cassava. This is resulted in a better selling price. Business partnerships can guarantee the sustainability of business relationships among business units. A better upstream-downstream relation needs to be developed to prevent the risks of raw materials supply.

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Cassava is an important starchy root crop grown globally in tropical and subtropical regions. The ability of cassava to withstand difficult growing conditions and long-term storability underground makes it a resilient crop, contributing to food security. Historically, small-scale farmers have grown cassava as a minor crop in the far north-eastern part of the country. However, there is an initiative to scale up cassava production, with two discrete areas of interest: large-scale production for industrial starch, and expanding its footprint as a food security crop for small-scale farmers, especially in the context of climate change. In this scoping study, production, processing and marketing data for cassava were accessed from the FAO and US Commercial trade databases. Other domestic market and demand analysis case studies were also explored. There is no cassava data available for South Africa. The study indicated that South Africa imports more than 66,000 tons of starch annually, of which 33% is cassava starch, showing the availability of a local market. The potential of cassava for the South African economy is discussed. Significant industrial opportunities exist for the production and use of cassava in South Africa. However, the realization of these opportunities will depend on the reliable supply of good quality cassava roots. However, the lack of a well-established cassava research program, and a lack of an existing value chain for the industrial scale cassava production and processing are barriers to the development of cassava industry in South Africa. As the initial step to the development of a successful cassava industry, high potential germplasm is imported, characterized and bred for local conditions to ensure the sustainable primary production of cassava. Subsequently, industrial value chains will need to be developed as the optimization of the breeding and agronomy of the crop are completed, and yield potentials are quantified in the different regions of the country.