BRIEFING REPORT

Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI)
 
 
 
SLARI Commissions Cassava Processing Centres            -     December, 2009 Vol. 11. No. II
 
Although cassava has more than 1,000 uses and has been identified as a poverty fighter, its development and management in Sierra Leone is very much limited and unprofitable, the Director–General of the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) Dr. Alfred Dixon told beneficiaries during the commissioning of five cassava Processing Centres for farming communities in the West, South and North of the country.
 

Picture 1: High capacity Cassava

                 Grater
 
As a way of developing and promoting the cassava industry in the country, SLARI in collaboration with the Common Funds for Commodities (CFC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has come up with the processing centres with facilities including high capacity graters, pressers, fryers, double twin pressers and a mechanical Gari roster. The effort is in response to help bring about sustained food security as well as market opportunities. The facilities will now deal with the issues of drudgery and health hazards, and the processing of diverse quality cassava products in acceptable sanitary conditions that are of keen interest to both producers and consumers. The initiative will in future jump-start rural industrialization, increase market value of cassava, and improve farmers’ earnings and their livelihoods

 

 
 To this end, SLARI in collaboration with its partners intends to undertake massive sensitization of farmers and other stake holders about the multifarious uses of cassava as well as conduct strong advocacy for government policy support to, for instance, ensure the use of a given percentage of high quality cassava flour in the baking of bread so as to create effective market for cassava products. In the same vein, the Common Funds for Commodities (CFC) intends to help the beneficiaries of the processing centres to come up with Business Plans that will assist them map out what to do, how and when as well as be able to make projections of expected net profits.
 
The beneficiaries recalled the many problems and challenges they had been going through in the absence of the processing facilities. They expressed their deep appreciation for the centres adding that they would make the best use of them to fight against hunger and poverty.
 
 
Published by the Information Documentation and Communication Division of SLARI
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