# Cassava: Overview

Fufu, tapioca pearls, paper starch and ethanol from one root

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/overview/

What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Food: fresh roots, gari, fufu, flour and leaves** | n/a | n/a basis | Cassava grows on poor soils, tolerates drought and can be left in the ground for months, so it is a food-security crop for many millions of people in Africa. Roots are processed into gari (Nigeria, Ghana), fufu and flour to remove natural cyanide compounds and extend shelf life. FAOSTAT 2024; qualitative | Maize Yams and sweet potatoes Rice and wheat flour |
| **Native and modified starch for food, paper and textiles** | n/a | n/a basis | Cassava starch is clean-tasting, low in protein and fat and forms a clear paste, which suits noodles, snacks, sweeteners, paper sizing and textile finishing. Thai and Vietnamese mills sell it widely in Asia at prices that often undercut maize starch. Qualitative; no quantified source found | Maize starch Potato starch Wheat starch |
| **Dried chips and pellets for animal feed and ethanol** | n/a | China imported 2.47 Mt of cassava (HS 071410, mainly dried chips) worth $619 million in 2024basis | Dried chips are a cheap source of starch energy. China ferments them into ethanol and alcohol and uses them in feed. In the 1970s Europe imported about 4 Mt of tapioca a year as duty-free feed in place of maize (Morgan 1979). UN Comtrade 2024; Morgan, Merchants of Grain (1979) | Maize Sorghum Molasses and sugarcane for ethanol |
| **Sago (sabudana) and starch in India** | n/a | n/a basis | Tamil Nadu's units turn high-starch roots (30-35% starch) into pearl sago eaten during fasts across India and into industrial starch. About 5 kg of roots make 1 kg of sago. Salem sago received a GI tag in March 2023. InsightsIAS, 20 Feb 2026 (Salem sago GI); TNAU DEMIC, 2015 | Maize starch Potato and sago palm starch |

 No sourced world split of cassava use was found. World output was 342 Mt of fresh roots in 2024 (FAOSTAT). Food dominates in Africa, while in Southeast Asia most roots go to starch, chips and ethanol. Trade in roots and chips (HS 071410) was worth $1.43 billion in 2024 (UN Comtrade).

#### From field to user

1. **Planting stem cuttings** Farmers plant stem pieces rather than seed; 33.6 Mha were harvested worldwide in 2024 (FAOSTAT).
2. **Growing** The crop grows for many months, needs few inputs and can be left in the ground until needed.
3. **Harvest** Roots are dug by hand or machine; they rot within a few days once lifted, so must be processed quickly.
4. **Primary processing** Roots are peeled, grated and fermented into gari or fufu, sliced and sun-dried into chips, or sent to starch and sago factories.
5. **Starch extraction** Factories rasp roots, wash out starch, dewater and dry it; in Salem, about 5 kg of roots make 1 kg of sago (InsightsIAS 2026).
6. **Trade** Thailand exported 2.09 Mt of roots and chips and imported 4.52 Mt (mainly from Cambodia and Laos) in 2024; China imported 2.47 Mt (UN Comtrade).
7. **End use** Food in Africa and South America; starch, sweeteners, ethanol and feed in Asia; sago and starch in India.

#### Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25

No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
 World production 341.9 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer Nigeria 18.32% of world

#### Three things to know

- World cassava output more than doubled from 152 million tonnes in 1990 to 342 million in 2024 (FAOSTAT).
- China took 40.7% of world cassava import value in 2024, mostly dried chips for starch, feed and ethanol.
- Europe once imported about 4 million tons of tapioca a year as duty-free feed in place of maize (Morgan).

#### Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days

- [Vietnam's cassava exports decline 22.1% as prices rise](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxPOU1BbjdBLURYcVd0cllKU0w2ektsUzhESFFBdVl4SWl4cVdRRTBlUXgyYmhUTUdnLXFOVXNoQ3BjRHJIM2VQMm12cmtwSGNnVkFBTjllZ3dxeFBFT1RiOHNCMEIzbm1CWEQxejdtaVJTcS1sN2JianY1aGJnVHpNS1pUOF9hUnVSdmd6MXhOZjFlTDVhMzd5d1dMdm5zdUpjZWY3OVpnRQ?oc=5)FreshPlaza · 2026-10-19
- [Cassava Investors Lose Class Status in Suit Over Drug Studies](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgFBVV95cUxQc3I2ajdKTUVNOFVERnZCQUVCaGJVdXdmcDdHRWJJOTVhNnZodkhQU2FmVmJZMTBiVGhTZTJoWVljcjNDVy1YOTI1dHhKVGNQRDBocVlwNllHM2NDckVGSDlDOW9COXdpRm00LWx5bzUxTXNLdDRMeGxVeVN1dTQxVjlxV1FraG52Y1hlOXIxSXJUc3I2c3l0LTluSWtDV1NEa0JnUG1NeXNPdw?oc=5)Bloomberg Law News · 2026-10-16
- [Rwanda prepares to release six biotech cassava and two potato varieties](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMivwFBVV95cUxPQUZfTnlVcmJQdjF0aGlkVGFvS1hlamlDd2FOci1XZ0R4dEtmWEhCamd0UEZ0WGZJdzRLbWFvT184anZmMUtDOWdIZVp3OC1FclBzcExtYzREVGpNVnJja1lEUFY2Ym5lNGJYNnc2bjJGaTFOc1lLTFYzY0t1SU1LN05VVlF2Z2kyRGJVaF90T0RybTVmMnZEdjRnTnRBZ0t0aFcxTjJGNnZoMWNrMWNOaUtaa08wQU1IbkpBSTRqZw?oc=5)FreshPlaza · 2026-10-14
- [Cross River can turn Cassava, Cocoa into global products, says expert](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimAFBVV95cUxNMThOZEFSSE9EMS1lYXVNX3M0Mm1QZjZoNTg0YUdWdjljanpwSUJlMVRrWFRxQW1fYzZuTmI5YV8xVjRCLWRTYXBYOHV3V0ZYM0tfUEhPdzdDcGxYR1puVmZTMTEteGdqcDQ0LXZ4enZRRnE1eElTMFdSNnQ2RjU4LWRvOGtndmsycDlLS0VVQjduM056anZJWA?oc=5)The Guardian Nigeria News · 2026-10-14
- [Ogun, Oyo Cassava Merchants Warn of 98% Farmgate Price Collapse](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirwFBVV95cUxNcmpWcU1TYmc4VmlSWVN4cGVLa3pmeHVSMXU4U1ZmWm5pdi1HZGI2Ry1ndWRTM21rQ1VFVmp0REZQMUVCdk1rZjQtY0IyM3F2OThrTkp0RFYzQWJsZ2kyVVVWTlhIejh5dnVrYVBSSEltWWViZ3RNeGFMUDNXVE1HQ0tiMG5QdlFHSnNoeVJfQ2ZLOGExaEpYQUt6b1VQTnN6LVl5WjR4ekhmSHNOeFpR?oc=5)The Guardian Nigeria News · 2026-09-28

#### Chemicals made from it
[Cit Citric acid](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/citric_acid/)[PLA Lactic acid and PLA](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/)[Str Starch and cellulose derivatives](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/starch_derivatives/)

#### Read the tabs
[Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/extraction/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/production/)[Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/stocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/movement/)[Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/criticality/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/emissions/)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cassava/links/index.md)