Trends and prospects for cassava in Zaire

This report discusses the importance of cassava in the Zairean Basin, with an emphasis on crop supply, demand, and utilization. Introduced into Zaire in the late 16th century, cassava is the country"s principal foodstuff and a major source of employment and income for small farmers, particularly women, in most parts of the country. Cassava is grown on over 60% of the land devoted to Zaire"s three major carbohydrate-based food crops (cassava, rice, and maize), and between 1971 and 1984, it accounted for 85% of the total cereal equivalent output. Cassava roots are mainly ground into flour or made into chickwangue (varieties of bread), while the leaves are used extensively as vegetables. From an area of 1.6 million ha in the early 1970"s, the area under cassava cultivation grew to some 2.3 million ha in 1984. Though yields have declined since 1976 due to the outbreak of bacterial blight, production should continue at an annual growth rate of 2.8% through the year 2000 due to an expansion of the area under cultivation. Further expansion of cassava production will require efforts to integrate the Zairean Basin into domestic food markets, promote industries using cassava as a raw material, and enhance long-term cassava processing for human and animal consumption, industrial use, and export.