Commercial Dynamics in Zambia’s Cassava Value Chain

Cassava production has grown rapidly in Zambia since the early 1990’s. Available evidence suggests that volumes of traded cassava have been increasing roughly twice as fast as production. Yet this cassava production boom could stall unless commercial markets for it develop. To help accelerate commercial development of cassava and cassava-based products at the national level, Zambia’s Agricultural Consultative Forum (ACF) initiated an Acceleration of Cassava Utilization (ACU) Task Force, beginning in August 2005. At a regional level, efforts such as the Cassava Transformation in Southern Africa (CATISA) project aim to complement national efforts and help facilitate regional spillovers, so that new products, new technologies or new lessons can help to accelerate cassava-based commercial growth throughout the region. This paper aims to provide empirical content in support of both the ACU Task Force and CATISA activities.