Nigeria’s cassava output is set to increase as a result of rising demand by China for cassava products used in food and pharmaceuticals and as a bio-fuel, according to the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA).

The NCGA plans to increase output to 200 million tons yearly on five million hectares (12 million acres) by the end of 2021, using a new growing technique and a crop variety that yields an average of 40 tons a hectare, its President Segun Adewunmi has said.

The variety now commonly used produces about 30 tons per hectare.

“Chinese firms are demanding  Nigeria’s cassava pellets and we are positioning ourselves to meet this demand in the next three years. For instance, we just got an import request from China and other countries for 10 million tons of cassava chips.” Adewunmi told an international medium, Bloomberg. Read more