Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini’s small-scale farmers may soon find themselves at the heart of a commercial farming revolution, as a cassava project valued at over E700 million takes root in Ezulwini. The initiative was spearheaded by the Co-founder of the Eswatini Cassava Agri-industrial Center Isaac Knafo, on April 7, 2026.
Knafo told reporters that the project has already secured vast tracts of land and will bring farmers together in a structured industrial centre to grow and process cassava. “A single plant can yield over 10 kilograms, and a hectare could bring in as much as E500,000,” he said. “We want farmers to see cassava not just as a crop but as a pathway to stronger incomes and food security.”
For farmers like Nompilo Dlamini from Swazi Nation Land, the project offers hope. “We’ve been farming cassava on a small scale for years, but selling it beyond our community has been a struggle,” she said. “This project could change that.”
The project’s second-year earnings are projected at roughly US$38 million (over E700 million), a figure that underscores its potential impact on the local economy. By processing cassava into flour and other products, the initiative plans to tap both domestic and regional markets, giving farmers access to customers they previously couldn’t reach.
Beyond income, Knafo said the project will create jobs and provide technical training, helping rural communities improve farming techniques and business skills. Analysts say the initiative could diversify Eswatini’s agricultural sector and strengthen its resilience against climate shocks.
As the E700 million project rolls out, small-scale farmers are being invited to participate, turning what was once scattered subsistence farming into a coordinated, commercially viable industry and potentially changing the face of agriculture in Eswatini.
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