by Jims Vincent Capuno
Locally known as kamoteng kahoy or balinghoy, cassava (scientific name: Manihot esculenta) ranks second only to sweet potato camote) in hectarage among root crops produced in the country. It is mainly grown for its tubers which are a rich source of carbohydrates. It is also a good source of calcium and ascorbic acid.
However, there are many reasons why Filipino farmers should plant cassava. Let’s start with its food uses, which include confectionaries, native pastries like suman and bibingka, sago, vegetables, food seasoning, noodles and flour. Although not the staple of Filipinos, cassava feeds about 800 million people around the world, according to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
Another important product is cassava starch, known in the world trade as tapioca flour. Extracted from the tuber, it is used by a wide variety of industries – food, pharmaceutical, paper, adhesive, textile, mining and other manufacturing industries.
In the food industry alone, the uses for cassava flour are numerous. Studies have shown that cassava flour can substitute for wheat flour in baked products, as much as 10 percent in bread and can be higher in other baked products. It is utilized as thickener for soups, baby food, sauces and gravies.
Cassava flour is excellent filler that could supplement the solid contents of ice cream. It is also a good binder for sausages and other processed meat products to prevent these from drying up during cooking.
The use of cassava as livestock feed in the country has been investigated. Studies at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) have shown that cassava meal can be used as a substitute for feed grains in compounded animal rations. On the other hand, cassava leaf meal contains 18-20 percent protein, so that it is a good livestock feed not only for poultry but also for other livestock.
Cassava can also be a good solution to the problems of climate change and fuel shortage. In China, Thailand, and Brazil, cassava is becoming an important biofuel crop. A feasibility study has found that cassava has a very high starch-to-sugar conversion ratio. This high starch content means that a high percentage of sugar can be converted from it, and which, in turn, is needed to produce biofuel.
Cassava can also help control erosion. “Farmers can grow cassava and control – even prevent – hillside erosion by following simple methods,” said Dr. Mabrouke Elsharkawy, CIAT cassava physiologist. This can only be attained if farmers shift their method of farming to minimum or no tillage, “and protect the soil with live, permanent mulch like a forage legume.” He added, “Farmers can also fertilize cassava to make it grow faster, and to cover and protect the soil from rain.”
Cassava is an easy-to-grow crop. “The crop grows well on poor soils found on eroded hillsides because it resists adverse conditions such as drought,” Dr. Elsharkawy pointed out. When farmers can’t grow corn or beans in depleted soils, cassava is their only choice.
In the Philippines, cassava is best grown in deep soil with friable structure such as light sandy loams of medium fertility. Top soil should be 30 centimeters in depth. Successful use of almost all soil types is possible, provided that they are not waterlogged, shallow or stony.
There are several varieties of cassava grown in the country. But commercially, the following are highly recommended: Lakan 1 (fresh root yield: 32 tons per hectare), Sultan 6 (39.1 tons per hectare), Sultan 7 (37.9 tons per hectare), Rajah 3 (37 tons per hectare), and Sultan 10 (40 tons per hectare). Sultan 6, Sultan 7, and Sultan 10 are industrial types suitable for starch and feed production. Lakan 1 and Rajah 3 are both all-purpose types appropriate for food, starch, and feed production.
Growing a cassava crop entails simple farm operations such as land preparation, planting, replanting, weeding, fertilization, irrigation, and harvesting. Small scale production requires 51 man-days to operate a hectare of land. The plantation type of production needs 55 man-days per hectare to undertake all the necessary farm operations.
Cassava is grown mostly in Central Visayas, Bicol, and Central Mindanao. They are also an important crop in Eastern and Western Visayas, Western and Southern Mindanao, and Southern Tagalog.
The Bureau of Agricultural Research said the provinces of Saranggani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Misamis Oriental, General Santos City, and Zambales are good sites for cassava production. Potential areas of plantations are Bukidnon, Negros, North Cotabato, and Davao.
