Cassava

Cssava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae is a robust productive starchy root crop that is grown clonally almost entirely within the tropics, grown chiefly as a food. But it is also an important animal feed, and it has several significant industrial uses. Cassava is a perennial crop, originated in Brazil with Central America and introduced to Sri Lanka in the Dutch regime. Since then cassava stands out in the country as the most important source of energy for the calorie deficient low-income population strata. But from the recent past it has now become a major horticultural export commodity earning foreign exchange.
Nutritional Value
Cassava roots combine high energy and high levels of some vitamins, minerals and dictary fibre and contain no trypsin inhibitor, but create a problem due to presence of cyanide which is removed by post-harvest treatments and cooking. The edible green leaves of cassava are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals and are often used to augment the rural diet.
Nutritional values of Cassava

Component	Root tubers	Leaves
Moisture % Energy (Kg/100g) Protein % Starch % Sugar % Dietary fibre % Ash %	62.8 580 0.53 31.0 0.83 1.40 0.84	74.8 - 5.1 - - - 2.7
Minerals (mg/100g) Ca P Mg K S Fe	20 46 30 302 6.4 0.23	350 56 - - - 218
Vitamins (mg/100g) Vit. A Thiamin Riboflavin Nicotinic acid Vit. C	Trace 0.05 0.04 0.6 15.0	3 0.2 0.3 1.5 200

 
Growing situations
Although cassava is not a nutritionally superior crop, from the agricultural point of view its popularity among resource poor farmers is due to its remarkable hardiness, drought resistance, relative freedom from pest attack and its ability to give acceptable yields under unfavoured conditions with low inputs and attention. It is mainly grown as a rainfed crop throughout the island excluding high elevation areas and mostly concentrating in the wet and intermediate zones. The production systems of cassava have been identified as a backyard crop and large scale open-land cultivation in the wet zone (Gampaha, Colombo, Kegalle, Rathnapura and Matara Districts) as well as in the intermediate zone (Kurunegala district) are mixed cropped with coconut and pineapple cultivations. Chena cultivation in large scale in the dry zone (Putlam, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Hambantota, Moneragala Districts) is viable. Peak production falls during Maha season.

Statistics 
According to FAO estimates, 172 million tonnes of cassava was produced worldwide in 2000. Africa accounted for 54%, Asia for 28%, and Latin America and the Caribbean for 19% of the total world production. In 1999, Nigeria produced 33 million tonnes making it the world’s largest producer.

In terms of area harvested, a total of 16.8 million hectares was planted with cassava throughout the world in 2000; about 64% of this was in sub-Saharan Africa.

The average yield in 2000 was 10.2 tonnes per hectare, but this varied from 1.8 tonnes per hectare in Sudan to 27.3 tonnes per hectare in Barbados. In Nigeria, the average yield was 10.6 tonnes per hectare.

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