Nigeria must move beyond being the world’s largest producer of cassava and focus on industrialising the crop to unlock greater economic value, create jobs and strengthen its export competitiveness, an agriculture expert, Dr. Tony Bello, has said.
Bello, Chief Innovation and Commercialisation Officer of Matna Foods Ltd., made the call in an interview on Tuesday in Lagos.
He noted that although Nigeria produces more than 60 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, it has yet to fully harness the crop’s vast economic potential through value addition and industrial processing.
According to him, the country’s biggest challenge is no longer increasing cassava output but converting production into industrial products capable of generating sustainable revenue and long-term prosperity.
“Nigeria has already won the production race. The challenge is industrialisation.
“The challenge is transforming production into value, value into revenue, and revenue into sustainable profitability,” Bello said.
He explained that many developed economies have successfully transformed staple crops into engines of industrial growth, employment and exports rather than relying on them solely for food security.
Bello cited wheat and potatoes in the United States, potatoes and corn in Europe, maize in Latin America and rice across Asia as examples of crops that have been integrated into thriving industrial value chains.
He said cassava occupies a similarly strategic position in Nigeria, supporting millions of households through products such as garri, fufu, lafun, flour, tapioca and starch.
However, he lamented that much of the crop’s economic value is lost due to inadequate processing capacity, weak commercialisation and poor integration across the value chain.
According to him, true prosperity can only be achieved when agricultural production is effectively linked to processing, markets and sustainable demand.
Bello observed that while significant investments have been made in cassava cultivation and processing, insufficient attention has been paid to innovation, market development, commercialisation and value chain integration.
He added that many cassava processing factories operate far below installed capacity because of inadequate feedstock supply and persistent value chain bottlenecks.
To reverse the trend, Bello called for improved technology, mechanisation and supportive government policies to boost productivity and ensure reliable feedstock security.
“No country can build a globally competitive cassava industry with low yields, inefficient farming practices, fragmented supply chains and inconsistent feedstock supply,” he said.
He stressed that feedstock security must be deliberately developed to sustain industrial growth in the cassava sector.
Referring to this year’s World Cassava Day theme, “From Cassava to Industrialisation, From Industrialisation to Prosperity,” Bello said achieving the vision would require bold leadership, strategic investment and a fundamental shift in mindset.
He urged Nigeria to begin viewing cassava not merely as a food security crop but as an industrial asset capable of driving manufacturing, exports and broad-based economic growth.
Bello also advocated treating agriculture as a business that attracts investment, encourages innovation and meets both domestic and international market demand.
“The challenge before Nigeria is not simply to produce more cassava. The challenge is to create more value from cassava,” he said.
