Museveni’s advice is reminiscent to Marie Antoinette’s, who, amid the rising prices of bread in France, told peasants to eat cakes instead. Antoinette became queen by marriage to King Louis XVI. Together with the king, she met brute death after sparking off the 1787-1799 French Revolution, already having received negative publicity for her luxurious lifestyle and political blunder, and for being oblivious to the condition of the poor.
Similarly, Museveni’s advice has fired off a salvo of criticism, especially for his administration’s failure to nip in the bud the escalating commodity prices. An avalanche of memes in bad taste — and himself being caricatured on social media since his May day speech – have not ceased.
But wait a minute; is cassava that bad despite the president’s seemingly tongue-in-cheek advice? Is it because the crop is a poor source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, or is it because of its high toxicity that it is degraded as a food crop for poor people? That Ugandans eat cassava daily despite the president’s advice is not a secret.
The majority already eat it out of dire economic straits because they have no choice. Disclaimer! This article is not intended to deface the president or others for the hostile response but it is about creating awareness of cassava’s value addition to the economy, only if our leaders were serious about developing its value chain like other food crops.
For starters, cassava plays a significant role in sub-Sahara African rural economies, Uganda inclusive. It is a food crop and a source of income for poor households, thus presenting nicely towards poverty alleviation and food security.
When processed, cassava products are used in industrial application in the textiles, plywood and paper, pharmaceuticals, bakery and food and alcohol industries. Research shows that 60 per cent of Uganda’s cassava is used in domestic consumption more than in industrial application, and 40 per cent, usually surplus, marketed for household income.
But how do other countries compare relative to Uganda’s handling of cassava besides the ridicule it receives for its perceived lack of value? Statistics show that 60 per cent of global cassava production is concentrated in five countries, in pecking order, Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, and the DR Congo. Uganda exhibits potential as a sixth world producer. In those countries, the crop is developed for cassava-based foods, feeds, and industrial applications.
In Uganda, cassava is produced by smallholder farmers, mostly in the eastern and northern parts of the country. Despite its recognition by the Agriculture Sector Strategy Plan as a part of the ten commodities, cassava’s value chains are the least developed, thus explaining why there is biting poverty in the regions where it is produced.
In Nigeria, a Presidential Initiative on Cassava (PIC), replicated in Ghana and the DR Congo, is good example of what contribution a crop like cassava can add to the economy if it were developed and commercialised properly. The initiative compels that for every loaf of bread produced, 10 per cent of its ingredients must be cassava, and 10 per cent bioethanol from cassava.
In West Africa still, cassava leaves and roots form part of on-farm animal feeds and commercial animal feed production. This is due to cassava’s good adaption to droughts amidst diminishing grazing pasture caused by global warming.
Rather than deride it, cassava should be developed as it has immense potential and value to take Ugandans out of poverty. This can only happen if our leaders were serious to develop its value chains like other crops and commercialise it for domestic and global markets. Cassava can address Uganda’s food security concerns if it were processed well for people to enjoy it rather than eat it in its raw form.
In developing countries, the crop already ranks fourth as a food crop after rice, maize and wheat. Proper cassava production commercialisation can benefit from global demand for food processing and other industrial applications.
To prove this point, in 2020, China as a leading user, imported cassava products valued at $875m, followed by Thailand ($439m), Vietnam ($175m), the Netherlands ($144m) and the USA ($127m). Thailand dominates cassava product export valued at $697m in 2020, due to the country’s highly developed cassava industry.
The author is in South Africa undertaking a Master’s degree in Management of Technology and Innovation at Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management.
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