TANZANIA Trade Development Authority (Tantrade) gears up to commercialize cassava leaves which in the past were mainly consumed as domestic vegetable.
Speaking over the weekend, Tantrade Research and Planning Manager John Fwalo told the ‘africa-press’ that efforts were underway to improve the value of the cassava crop in the country.
“ In the past years the cassava leaves were mainly eaten by lower-class people but we have now started seeing high class people eating that vegetable after introduction of modern means of processing,” he said.
He was speaking during the seminar to producers and sellers of the cassava leaves. The seminar was organised by the JV Biotech Enterprises to educate the group on better practices of cassava leaves business.
“ For us (Tantrade) this is part of product development efforts, we want to see them grow to serve big markets,” he said, assuring that the cassava leaves have big market outside there, mentioning supermarkets as part of it.
Executive Director of the JV Biotech Enterprises, Mr Jacob Tito, said they organised the seminar in efforts to add value to cassava crop.
“ As we are now focusing on cassava leaves we want to reach out to over 2000 farmers and traders countrywide this year,” Mr Tito said.
The seminar at the weekend involved at least 20 participants from regions of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Coast, Kagera and Morogoro.
Facilitator of the seminar, Mr Issa Maggidi, who is managing director of Progressive Mkulima Ltd, also confirmed that there was a big market for cassava leaves.
His company works for processing and selling of the processed cassava leaves and help cassava farmers to access the market.
He encouraged the traders of cassava leaves to advertise themselves so that customers could know them.
One of trainees, Ms Lilly Pundugu, who is a farmer, admitted that previously she never knew that she could make good money from processing and selling cassava leaves.
“ To harvest cassava can take at least six months but for cassava leaves it takes an interval of about only three months, so this is good business,” she said.
She was optimistic that the knowledge of better practices of cassava leaves processing and doing business would make her grow.
