Abstract:

This report is the result of a long-term CTA study on the important position occupied by storage and processing operations in the commodity chain, from agricultural production to consumption. The study provides an overview of existing technologies for cereals, and roots and tubers in Africa and identifies developments in the food marketing chain with economic potential for producers. The products covered by the study include maize, millet and sorghum, rice, cassava, potato, sweet potato, and yam. Many of the processing technologies described are household based. The potential for processed foods such as flour, grits, couscous, and pasta lies mainly in the urban markets, which need to be understood. The study did much to orient CTA down the road of market forces and market information studies. This is a detailed overview indeed, which giddily darts across the continent from paragraph to paragraph. It may leave the reader gasping at the ease with which the author assumes that a technology or an experience can apparently jump from country to country. But for a researcher or commodity chain analyst who is looking for a descriptive narrative of the sector, with references across the French-English language divide, this study report is a useful tool. Adding value to cereals, roots and tubers. Developments and opportunities in small-scale enterprise development in Africa. D Bruinsma. 1999. ISBN 92 9081 2028. 101 pp. CTA No 921, 10 credit points