Abstract
Cassava production is increasing in Nigeria and needs to be sustained. One way of achieving this is to process cassava into high-grade products with positive and high-value elasticity of demand. Soy-cassava flour, a blend of cassava and soy bean flours, was produced and tested for consumer acceptability and economic viability. The results showed that the soy-cassava flour, with 16% protein, compared favourably with gari and cassava flour as food material for the preparation of fufu (the popular local cassava food product). Its production was profitable, with a pre-tax profit of close to N5,000 (equivalent to US$62.5 at a rate of US$1 = N80) per tonne. There are clear prospects for large-scale production and marketing of soy-cassava flour in Nigeria. This would establish a large market for cassava roots, since it takes over 2.5 tonnes of cassava root to produce one tonne of soy-cassava flour. Widespread production of this cassava-based, high-grade product can therefore contribute significantly towards sustaining the increasing trend in cassava production in Nigeria.
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