Posted on October, 5, 2016 at 09:46 am
By Esther Nakkazi
Millions of Uganda rely on cassava not only for food security but as a means of livelihood. However, an issue of concern is its shelf life. To address this, a research is being conducted on technologies to enable longer storage of cassava as well as the economic feasibility.
Known as RTB-Endure, the project is implemented in Uganda by CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB). It is led by International Potato Center (CIP) and is part of a wider three-year EU-funded project with technical support of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
“First, we screened several cassava varieties to identify the ones characterised by slower post-harvest deterioration” says Harriet Muyinza the principal investigator for the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) team on this project.
“Thereafter, we apply waxing and relative humidity technologies on the selected varieties” adds Kelly Wanda from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Muyinza explains, “We hope to contributed to reducing losses due to the rapid deterioration of cassava. We shall also have increased our understanding of the varieties and their natural ability to delay deterioration.”
Widely practiced in Latin America and the Caribbean, waxing has proven to extend the shelf-life of fresh cassava roots to more than 30 days. This creates the possibility for new market opportunities.
If the waxing technology is adopted, it would be a game changer in Uganda where the cassava goes bad in a much less period after harvest.
This has severely limited growth of the domestic and international market.
Then the cassava farmers and traders will have a longer lasting root, which can fetch higher prices and reduce crop waste and post-harvest losses. “We will also identify how the chemical factor—such as sugars, cyanide and carbohydrates—affect the progression of deterioration in the root,” Ephraim Nuwamanya, a biochemist at Naro, points out.
As part of the research, his team tests, validates and promotes the adoption of shelf-life extension technologies. They put the roots in plastic bags, which increases relative humidity and prolongs shelf life.
Preliminary results have shown that by doing this, the roots of some cassava varieties can be preserved for more than 14 days.
“Using this technology is cheap. You just need a bag and keep the roots moist. All you have to do is to disinfect the roots before bagging,” notes Moses Matovu, a scientist with Naro.
Diego Naziri, a post-harvest specialist at CIP, also notes post-harvest losses are much higher with RTB crops than with grains. In addition, their inherent bulkiness and perishability have traditionally limited them to short marketing channels and on-farm and local markets.
If the shelf life is increased, farmers located in remote areas will have enough time to access more lucrative urban markets or to supply distant processing industries.
RTB are consumed as a staple food and they contribute over 20 per cent of caloric requirements and constitute nearly two-thirds of per-capita food production in sub-Saharan Africa.
So, the team is confident that the technologies they develop will be adopted once they are optimised for the most suitable varieties.
The farmers, particularly the ones in remote areas, will benefit from reduced postharvest losses and access to more distant markets.
The focus
More than 200 million people depend on cassava as their main staple food. It therefore plays a vital role in reducing food and nutrition insecurity in Africa.
In Uganda, cassava is described as a food security crop. It is drought resistant and can be left in the ground for long periods of time without harvesting it and can serve as a bridging crop for many families vulnerable to food insecurity.
However, its production, consumption and marketing is heavily affected by the rapid deterioration of the roots once harvested, which leads to complete spoilage within a few days. So, the project will address these issues through research.
Source: Daily Monitor