DRY SEASON CASSAVA OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The arrival of the dry season comes with the opportunity of high efficient solar dehydration for relevant cassava base products like, cassava chips, Lafun, cassava peel etc. Sun drying presents opportunity for cheap drying for these products.

But in this same dry season, harvesting of cassava tuber across farms becomes drastically reduced because of hard soil which makes harvesting more tedious and also because many farmers would prefer to retain stems of the cassava for usage in the following raining season (new planting season).

Cassava tuber currently selling for between N40,000 to N50,000 per ton across farms in South West Nigeria may rise to N60,000 or more between the month of November and February 2024. This implies that cost of products like Cassava chips, Lafun and the likes may also increase despite the availability of good intensity of sunlight to dry them during this dry season period.

Also, this season of low cassava harvest has always being the peak pricing period for garri. A bag of regular fermented white garri (22 custard rubbers) currently selling for between N20,000 to N25,000 in the farm markets may get to N27,000 or above during this high demanding, yet low production season.

High volume garri trader usually take advantage of months of September, October and part of November to stock up for onward sales during the up price period of dry season. Market of garri is high already but it will still increase further in the coming months. All available indicators are pointing in that direction. Same applies to fufu and every other cassava base products. That has always being the market dynamics.

Some smart cassava farmers have also learnt to harvest part of their cassava farms during this dry season. For those who prepared heaps or ploughed their farms, harvesting would not be that tedious. Even if it means paying additional N3000 or N5000 in harvesting an hectare, the higher selling price of tubers in the dry season when cassava is relatively scarce will definitely justify the difference. Knowing fully well that the tuber price will again drop when the raining season commence, there is nothing as good as taking advantage of period of good market price.

For the garri processors and trader, there is still enough time to produce and stock up before tubers price becomes higher. For the processors of cassava chips, if you have the opportunity of buying near-harvest cassava on the farm now, please go for it. Take full advantage of the coming sunny season to produce chips for onward sales when raining season commence next year. You still have up to April next year to enjoy nature free sunlight for dehydration. Cassava farmers should take advantage of December and January (2024) to sell as much as they can. Price will definitely drop a little bit from February (2024).

In all, 2024 is going to be a good year for cassava farmers regardless of the early year mass harvest. The market price will be good but the availability of tubers will be low compare compare with industrial and domestic market demands.

It is going to be very challenging and interesting, but, GOD NO GO SHAME US.

Kazeem Lamidi

https:///2348100975775