High quality cassava flour and industrial starches

Extend Freshness, Expand Opportunities with Cassava Flour!

High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) is a product derived from cassava, a starchy root crop, and is specifically focused on the characteristics and attributes of the product itself. HQCF is a finely processed cassava flour that is produced without fermentation, resulting in an odorless, white or off-white flour. It is created through a series of production steps that include raw material selection, peeling, washing, grating, pressing, disintegration, sifting, drying, milling, screening, packaging, and storage.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption4

Technology integrated in the ENSURE- East Africa, ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau, IsDB Root and Tuber- Benin, and PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo projects.

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau Emergency Support to Food Security Project	46,635 vulnerable farming households (at least 50% of which are headed by women).	6.5 million	2022–2024	1,253 tons of certified cereal seeds. 1,350 tons of fertilizer. 37,335 tons of agricultural products.
IsDB Root and Tuber- Benin IsDB Root and Tuber Value Chains Development Project	Information coming soon	Information coming soon	Information coming soon	Information coming soon
PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture	900,000 smallholder farmers (including 450,000 women).	321 million	2024–2029	62,000 tons of certified seeds. 30,000 people trained. 5,200 hectares of irrigated rice cultivation.

See project details ›

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Under 18: Positive high

Women: Positive high

Farmer climate change readiness: Moderate improvement

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Carbon footprint: More carbon released

Problem

The HQCF technology adressed several problem such as:

Short shelf life: Fresh cassava roots, with their high water content, quickly perish and mold, posing a significant challenge for storage and market sales.
Cyanide toxicity: Traditional processing methods aim to eliminate toxic cyanide compounds present in cassava, requiring additional steps to make it safe for consumption.
Limited market opportunities: Traditional cassava flour production methods do not offer significant market prospects for smallholder cassava farmers.
High transport costs: Converting fresh roots into High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) reduces transportation costs from farms to processing facilities.
Extended shelf life: HQCF production contributes to longer shelf life for the raw food product, addressing the issue of the perishability of fresh roots.

Solution

Production of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) to extend the shelf life of cassava roots.

Extended Shelf Life: HQCF offers a longer shelf life compared to fresh cassava roots, reducing post-harvest losses.
Reduced Transportation Costs: Processing cassava roots into HQCF decreases transportation costs from farms to processing facilities, enhancing logistical efficiency.
Improved Quality: The HQCF production process, unlike fermentation used in other cassava products like fufu or gari, produces an odorless flour with a white or off-white color, enhancing its overall quality.
Versatility: HQCF and derived starches can be used in the manufacturing of a diverse range of foods and products, providing versatility in application.
Import Substitution: HQCF can serve as a substitute for imported starch sources like wheat, contributing to food security and reducing import costs.

Key points to design your program

High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) and industrial starch technologies transform cassava from a highly perishable root into shelf-stable, value-added products for food and industrial markets. The technology reduces post-harvest losses, strengthens local agro-processing, supports import substitution, and expands market opportunities across food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paper, textile, and other industrial value chains. It is well suited for rural industrialization, food security, agribusiness development, and import substitution programmes, contributing to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). It also creates employment and business opportunities for women and youth through processing, aggregation, value addition, and marketing enterprises. To successfully integrate this technology, consider the following key actions:

Identify cassava-producing areas with strong processing potential and assess market demand across food and industrial sectors to support sustainable processing enterprises.
Establish partnerships with IITA, research institutions, extension services, producer organizations, processors, bakeries, industrial buyers, and private-sector partners to strengthen value chains and expand market opportunities.
Strengthen reliable raw material supply systems by promoting improved cassava varieties, quality planting materials, producer organization, and efficient aggregation networks to ensure continuous processing.
Invest in processing infrastructure, including grating, pressing, drying, milling, storage, packaging, and quality control facilities adapted to local production capacity.
Train processors, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, extension agents, and women and youth groups on processing technologies, food safety, quality assurance, equipment operation, and business management.
Strengthen quality assurance systems to ensure HQCF and industrial starch products comply with market and industry requirements for food and industrial applications.
Develop market linkages with food processors, bakeries, beverage industries, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturers, paper and packaging industries, textile processors, and other industrial users to promote local value addition and import substitution.
Promote the participation of women and youth through processing enterprises, aggregation services, equipment management, marketing activities, and value-added businesses.
Monitor programme performance through indicators such as cassava volumes processed, post-harvest loss reduction, product quality, market uptake, enterprise performance, income generation, and the participation of women and youth.

25 %

Reduction of wheat flour in bakeries

1 ton HQCF from 5.5 tons fresh cassava roots

Cassava root to HQCF conversion ratio

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 8 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau Emergency Support to Food Security Project	46,635 vulnerable farming households (at least 50% of which are headed by women).	6.5 million	2022–2024	1,253 tons of certified cereal seeds. 1,350 tons of fertilizer. 37,335 tons of agricultural products.
IsDB Root and Tuber- Benin IsDB Root and Tuber Value Chains Development Project	Information coming soon	Information coming soon	Information coming soon	Information coming soon
PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture	900,000 smallholder farmers (including 450,000 women).	321 million	2024–2029	62,000 tons of certified seeds. 30,000 people trained. 5,200 hectares of irrigated rice cultivation.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Liberia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Madagascar	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Sierra Leone	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Togo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

1. Raw Material Preparation:

Select fresh cassava roots with high dry matter, and low levels of bitter-tasting cyanides.
Harvest and deliver the cassava roots within a day or two after harvest for optimal quality.

2. Processing HQCF:

Use a grater to reduce the size of cassava roots.
Dewater the grated cassava using a press to remove excess water.
Dry the dewatered cassava using a solar or flash dryer.
Comminute (reduce particle size) the dried cassava using a pin mill.
Screen the comminuted material to achieve the desired particle size.
Package the HQCF using a stitching machine.
Ensure the entire process takes place within a short timeframe to maintain quality.

4. Electricity Supply:

Ensure a reliable supply of low-cost electricity, which can be obtained from the national grid, diesel generators, or photovoltaic panels.
This is essential for uninterrupted and cost-effective manufacturing of HQCF and starches.

Last updated on Jul 9, 2026