Abstract:
Cassava esculenta) originated in Central and South America (Rogers,
but is now widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions, including
of Africa, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the
Philippines. It was introduced into West Africa by the Portuguese in the late
16th century via Sao Tomé, Fernando Po and the Congo river, but its early
spread was slow. For the following 200 years it was of little importance
elsewhere in Africa and did not reach many of the regions where it is now
widely grown until the present century (Jones,1959;Doku, 1969).It was
introduced to the island of Réunion from Brazil in 1736and was recorded in Zanzibar in 1799