The market in one paragraph. Cassava is nearly half of everything Ghana grows by volume, off a small share of the land, and about seven in ten farmers grow it. Demand is huge but overwhelmingly domestic and food-based, eaten fresh or as gari, so only a thin slice reaches industrial processing. The crop starts to rot within a day of harvest, which shapes the entire chain and pins most of it at the farm gate. The value climbs steeply as roots move to processing and export, yet the aggregation, storage and reliable processing that would carry them there barely exists. The opening every pillar returns to from a different angle is the same: finish the crop at home, and keep the value that finishing creates.
Is this a business for you?
The briefThe opportunity, what it takes to start, and the market signal, in plain terms.
The opportunity
Cassava is the most forgiving crop to grow and the most underused to process. The money is moving downstream into high-quality flour, starch and industrial derivatives, backed by cooperative and offtake models that guarantee a buyer.
What it takes
GHS 0
A realistic starting point. First revenue in about 10 to 12 months.
Market signal
#1 root crop by volume
The disease, price and biosecurity risks are covered in full inside the playbook.
🔑 The thesis in one line
Ghana already grows the cassava; the opportunity is to finish it, aggregate it, process it, brand it and sell it, at home first, before anywhere else. The country produces more cassava than almost anyone, loses up to half of it after harvest, and still imports far more cassava products than it exports. This playbook shows where the missing value sits, and what it would take to keep it on Ghanaian soil.
Cassava at a glance
The numbersThe numbers a student, entrepreneur or investor should carry into the pillars, each unpacked with its source inside. All cedi figures in this playbook use the series-locked working rate of about GH¢11.20 to one US dollar.
~0 M t
Annual production in 2024, Ghana's largest food crop by weight
MoFA/SRID
0.00 vs 45
On-farm yield against on-station potential, tonnes a hectare
MoFA/SRID
~0%
Of Ghana's farmers grow cassava
MoFA
~0%
Of the crop reaches industrial processing; the rest is eaten fresh or as gari
Sector estimate
up to 0%
Lost after harvest, roots begin to rot within a day of lifting
FAO/IITA
US$0m vs US$0.9m
Cassava-product imports against exports in 2020: the country buys far more than it sells
ITC Trade Map
0 / 18 / 73%
Farmer, processor and exporter shares of chain profit
Pillar 6
GH¢0.00
Series-locked working exchange rate per US dollar used throughout
Bank of Ghana
Every stage is a business of its own. Find the one that is yours.
The biggest returns rarely sit in production. Read the playbook section by section to see where the real value is.
The playbook, section by section
8 sectionsSix content pillars plus market intelligence and a strategic outlook. Open any section.
Take a playbook with you.
DownloadsEvery entry ships as a full document, a cost model, an investor snapshot and a set of risk cards.
Full Playbook
All eight content pillars, data tables, diagrams and market summaries.
PDFDownload Cassava playbook↓Cost & Returns Model
Per-unit cost breakdowns, yield benchmarks and margin calculations you can drop your own numbers into.
XLSXDownload Cassava cost model↓Market Opportunity Snapshot
A market opportunity brief covering demand, pricing and entry points.
PDFDownload Cassava snapshot↓Disease & Risk Cards
Quick-reference disease and risk profiles for the whole entry.
PDFDownload Cassava disease & risk cards↓