TECHNICAL AND MARKETING CHALLENGES FACED BY CASSAVA SMEs

TECHNICAL AND MARKETING CHALLENGES FACED BY CASSAVA SMEs IN NIGERIA

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES SME: Small and Medium Enterprise The Products: Cassava, Short Shelf life, within 24 hrs – 72 hrs after harvest and it is bulky

An enterprise: is refer to as company or business often as small one CHALLENGES: is something new and difficult, which required great effort and determination. One of the best way to solve challenges are through professional interactions, like the one we are doing, because someone challenge(s) would have been solved by another colleague, hence, it make it a roll over for him, otherwise, it may take him out of the business. TECHNICAL: Means involving the sort of machine, process and materials that are used in industry.

In our case study of cassava, the Technical Challenges are divided into two folds. 1. The Science- Food Scientists 2. The Equipment – Engineering Personnel’s e. g. Engineers, Technologists Technicians, artisan’s e. t. c

For good understanding let consider the following products from cassava 1. GARRI § Garri 1 Yellow Garri (most referable in South East Region) § Garri 2 (most referable in North Central Region) § Garri 3 (Garri Ijebu) (most referable in South West Region) § Garri 4 Lebu Garri § Garri 5 Garri Lite (fortified and blended Garri e. g. with soya e. t. c) § Garri 6 yellow Vitamin A Garri

FLOW CHART FOR GARRI PRODUCTION CASSAVA SORTING CASSAVA WEIGHING CASSAVA PEELING CASSAVA WASHING CASSAVA MILLING/ GRATING FERMENTATION DEWATERING FRYING DRYING SIEVING/MILLING WEIGHING PACKAGING

2. FUFU Fufu lite (Blended, fortified and enriched with sorghum, soya, etc) 3. FERMENTED CASSAVA FLOUR • Lafun lite (Blended, fortified and enriched with sorghum, soya, etc) 4. High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) 5. Cassava Starch (Food Grade & Industrial) 6. Taopica

MARKETING & CHALLENGES MARKETING: - is the organization of sale of a product i. e; ü Deciding on its price ü The areas it should be supplied ü How it should advertised e. t. c THE CHALLENGES ü Government policy ü Regulatory Body/Government Agencies i. e NAFDAC, SON, FIRS e. t. c ü Mass production ü Culture sensory differences ü Packaging

CONCLUSION If any of the tiers of government wants to provide sustainable employment and grow the GDP, I will suggest as follows; 1. There should be synergy between Food Scientists, Engineer Personnel’s and the Entrepreneur (promoter), to develop a Product and Mass Produce. 2. The Infrastructure Bank should provide fund for all infrastructures at a single digit Interest rate and duration of repayment should not be less than 15 years, to facilitate quick approvals of all necessary regulatory agencies. 3. The Development Banks should provide single digit interest loan for acquisition of Equipment and Working Capital, with moratorium of not less than a year and paying period of not less than 10 years. 4. There should be a Marketing Board that will specialize in marketing the products to international markets to earn foreign exchange for the country. With all these in place, the diversification program will receive a great boost

THANK YOU

Presented by: Alhaji Daramola H. A MD/CEO Wahan Foods Nig. Ltd. Afon, Ilorin, kwara State. 08033016572, 08129268594.