Title
Cassava value chain
Description
Cassava is grown by smallholders and is one of the food security crops under intensive production that is drought resistant. The main constraint to cassava promotion is Cassava Brown Streak Disease. However, significant progress has been made in introducing resistant varieties and this activity should continue. In addition, a new cassava processing plant has been constructed and this will strengthen development of the cassava value chain.
- Research based on the improved/resistant cassava varieties is ongoing to cope with these diseases
- Planting materials of resistant varieties are quite few with regard to demand in the country
- Supplementary imports from neighboring countries (Uganda) are delivered with delay to planting season,
- Farmers do not have strong linkages with multipliers of cassava planting materials,
- The producers of cassava cuttings also lack information on farmers demands,
- Processing plants are not linked to famers and cannot predict the production awaited from farmers and farmers do not know clearly if the processors are willing to buy their products, as sometime this happens and farmers experience considerable losses,
- Buyers lack information on the production weight and sometimes collect from different selling points, and this lack of organisation causes losses and raises selling prices to processing plant.
- Unavailability approach to disseminate tolerant/resistant varieties.
This niche aim is an improved and sustainable production of disease-free cassava through developing partnerships between farmers, traders, public and private research and extension services. Led from district level, partners include the Rwanda Agriculture Board and the Kinazi Cassava Processing Plant. This work supplements the current phase of the national strategic plan that emphasizes market-oriented and privately driven commodity development systems.
Aim
Improving and strengthening production of disease-free drought tolerant cassava through developing partnerships between farmers, traders, processors, public and private research and extension services
Location
Southern Province, Ruhango district
