A VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF THE CASSAVA SUB-SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA
Given the hastening effects of climate change, coupled with the need to diversify both South Africa’s staple food basket and sources of industrial raw materials among other concerns, cassava exhibits enormous potential in addressing such. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) earmarked cassava as the crop of the 21st Century. Among other policy and government initiatives, the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP) for instance reports that the value chain of cassava exhibits a high growth potential and is labour-intensive. As a food security crop, cassava’s importance is attributable to its high resilience and adaptability under a wide range of ecological conditions, its tolerance to drought, its ability to be grown on soils with a low nutrient capacity and it can be kept for a long period in the ground before harvesting. As an industrial crop, cassava is highly versatile such that it can be used in several products including bio-ethanol, flour, paper, textiles, food additives, animal feed, and pharmaceutical industries.
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