Evaluating Low Cost and Sustainable High Quality Cassava Drying Technologies among Small and Medium Processors in Uganda

Abstract

Cassava regarded as a white gold of Africa is driving the agricultural commercialization and industrialization with small to medium technologies in Uganda. There is an over-whelming demand for high quality cassava flour (HQCF) by Bakeries, beverage industry, paper board and composite end markets. The end market for HQCF dictates on its quality attributes and rewards for its quality in terms of price offered within their minimum standards. However, obtaining sustainable amounts of HQCF for these markets calls for devoted efforts. Limited types of HQCF processing technologies exist and if they exist, their efficiency, costs and sustainability are not well understood. We evaluated high quality cassava drying technologies in Northern and Eastern Uganda in two years using naturally ventilated wooden screen solar drying structures and open air sun drying structures. Naturally ventilated wooden screen solar dryers produced clean dry high quality cassava chips free off insect and bird contamination and caused faster drying to less than 14.3% MC in 1.5 hours than open outside drying conditions. We recommend naturally ventilated wooden screen solar dryers for small and medium cassava processors during dry and rainy season. Half tone to one tone cassava chips dryers per day drying unit can cost one 2,258-4,338 USD to make it functional. Also open outside raised metallic racks with black surface can give good results on a good sunny day especially for starters on small scale basis. A small durable unit of 150 kilograms per day can be made with 500 USD.