AfDB to invest $120 million to boost cassava, others.

AfDB to invest $120 million to boost cassava, others.In the next 2-3 years, the African Development Bank (AfDB) will be investing $120 million to increase productivity and transform cassava and other commodities on the continent. Dr. Martin Fregene, Director for Agriculture at AfDB, who made this known at the Fourth International conference on cassava, organized by the Global Cassava Partnerships for the 21st Century (GCP21), In Cotonou, Republic of Benin on Monday, said modifying cassava on the continent would aid African nations in reducing imports, thereby diverting about $1.2 billion into domestic economies. He said cassava is a strategic crop for food security and also the creation of wealth for women and youth in Africa. The largest volume of cassava comes from Africa, where it supports more than 350 million people.

Cassava :How Farmers Can Earn N10trn From Cassava Processing.

How Farmers Can Earn N10trn From Cassava Processing.Nigeria is the highest producer of cassava in the world with over 40 mil­lion metric tonnes per annum. About 60 per cent of Nigerian farmers are in­volved in cassava production because it is one of the food security crops. Cassava roots can grow on any soil in Nigeria and it is virtually grown in the 36 states of the federation. It is very resistant to drought and sur­vives in a variety of soils. But today investors are yet to understand the untapped investment opportunities and farmers hardly see cassava crop as avenue to hit hard currency. GROWING and producing cassava for local consumption, processing for industrial use and meeting the stan­dard of exportation is a huge invest­ment that can transform Nigeria’s economy with its potential to earn over N10 trillion annually and turn individuals to millionaires, even mul­ti-billionaires from cassava project. Cassava tubers that may be pro­cessed into a variety of products that are gaining huge demand in the ex­port market including chips, flakes popularly known as garri, cubes, peeler, starch for industrial and pharmaceutical use, flour, which can be eaten as elubo lafun or used in the bakery industry, pellets, glues and adhesives, ethanol and glucose syrup, among others. The Na­tional President of Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Segun Adewun­mi, said that from cassava alone, Nigeria could make twice what the country was making at the peak of crude oil production. He pointed out that Nigeria has 84 million hect­ares of arable land, that if five million of hectares can be developed in five years, it would be enough to provide N10 trillion annually through indus­trial cassava to Nigeria’s economy. He added: “From cassava you get ethanol in two grades, including bio-fuel and the food grade. The food grade we are using in this country is worth N3 trillion and we have not even started with the one of bio-fuel and industrial starch.

We must support the government in agriculture – Traditional Rulers.

We must support the government in agriculture – Traditional Rulers.Traditional Rulers under the auspices of Royal Fathers in Agriculture (ROFINA) have flagged off the harvest of cassava in Imo State, South-East, Nigeria, to buoy up government’s campaign on agriculture. The President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ROFINA, His Royal Majesty, Eze Chidume Okoro, said the initiative was formulated out of the need for traditional rulers to support the government’s agricultural revolution. We must support the government in agriculture – Traditional Rulers.

Nigeria can make billions from cassava export .

Nigeria can make billions from cassava export. Nigeria could earn billions in foreign currency from its 47 million tonnes of cassava tubers produced annually, according to a university don, Prof. Aloy Ezirim . Ezirim, a lecturer in the Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt .Ezirim said that Nigeria rather than producing cassava for food consumption alone should produce it for both industrial purpose and for consumption. Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava tubers in the world but cassava produced in the country is processed and consumed locally in various forms with little set aside for export.“Today, cassava has over 2,000 uses in the world that can easily replace or support crude oil as a foreign exchange earner and provide employment for many, if well harnessed". Nigeria can make billions from cassava export .

How ATASP-1 is enriching rural farmers along commodity value chains.

How ATASP-1 is enriching rural farmers along commodity value chains.Nigeria is blessed with 84 million hectares of arable land located across the country, but these arable land is currently under utilized due to negligence of the agricultural sector by successive governments over the years. Also, Nigeria has the potential to cultivate rice, Cassava and sorghum both for local consumption and export, but due to poor support of farmers by the government over the years, Nigeria is currently importing some of these crops and its raw materials for industrial use and household use. It is at the backdrop that Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase 1 (ATASP-1) had embarked in a mission to increase the production of some commodity value chain crops, and add value to the crops. How ATASP-1 is enriching rural farmers along commodity value chains.

Africa must double cassava production to avert food crisis by 2050.

Africa must double cassava production to avert food crisis by 2050. As the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) prepares for its 4th International Cassava Conference in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, scheduled for June 11-15, 2018, its Director, Dr. Claude Fauquet has warned that for the continent to avert a major food crisis by 2050, it needs to double her cassava production. Fauquet, who raised the alarm, at a world press conference in Lagos said though Africa accounts for 55 per cent of global cassava root production, its yield per hectare is the lowest in the world with about 10 tons per ha as opposed to Asia where average yield is 21 tons per hectare—or double the yield in Africa. Africa must double cassava production to avert food crisis by 2050. more

AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava.

AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. How the yellow cassava is winning the Vitamin A deficiency war. Yellow cassava is a new, yellow-fleshed breed of cassava making waves in Africa. The yellow root cassava are grown for their high concentrations of β-carotene a precursor to Vitamin A. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. Vitamin A deficiency is a major issue, especially in Africa,and Nigeria especially has a prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency in nearly one third of children under five years old. Bio fortification of food to alleviate certain deficiencies in the past have been instituted with products such as sugar,salt,flour e.t.c. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The introduction of the new variant of cassava is to stop the vitamin A deficiency is a good innovation as cassava products are stable foods in the country hence more people will be reached especially children who drink garri regularly. Garri a staple food in the country had 2 types the white and yellow forms which both originated from the normal cassava,but processed differently. The white garri is fried without palm oil while the yellow type is fried with palm oil when processing to boost its nutritional value. The advantage of the yellow cassava is that the nutritional level is already boosted,thus the garri comes out yellow saving producers the stress of adding palm oil and thus reducing the cost of production. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The yellow cassava can be used to produce all the same products as the white cassava but now with a tinge of yellow. Children under five and pregnant women are mostly affected with Vitamin A deficiency which results in increase disease risk, preventable blindness,reduced immunity and death. Vitamin A deficiency is also a major cause of hidden hunger thus adults who dont eat balanced diet can also succumb to blindness and increase disease risk. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The yellow cassava products such as yellow garri in combination with other ingredients can be used to make delicious foods such as cereals,snacks,soups that children will love and enjoy eating. The yellow cassava garri can used to make flakes, chocoballs,pancakes and loops.

AGRIBUSINESS : CASSAVA VALUE CHAIN AND FOOD SECURITY.

      AGRIBUSINESS : CASSAVA VALUE CHAIN AND FOOD SECURITY.


Cassava called Manihot esculenta, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates.

Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Cassava is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. 

 FOOD SECURITY.

Investing in cassava is profitable for man and animals as the peels can be processed as feed of high value in the livestock industry.

Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils and Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, while Thailand is the largest exporter of dried cassava.

 Cassava can be processed into various products such as garri,tapioca, cake,bread and flakes. .



Cassava processed into garri otherwise called cassava flakes is one of the most common products and this delicacy enjoyed by all classes of people and all age groups.

How to promote agribusiness with incubation hubs.

: How to promote agribusiness with incubation hubs. Agribusiness is the new gold and many people are moving into the sector but the growth impact is not as evident as it should be because of lack of organisation/structure in the industry.


 The issue of incubation hubs in agribusiness will promote agribusiness,provide more jobs and expand the  agricultural value chain markets to make money . Incubation hubs will give budding entrepreneurs platforms to start and grow the business and expand making more money.

    How to promote agribusiness with incubation hubs.

 Agribusiness today is big business and currently only the very big are calling the shots,but with incubation hubs many more will have opportunities.

How will the incubation hubs work? 1) It is a place where entrepreneurs churn out their ideas.

 2) Ideas are analysed and market possibilities are charted.

 3) Production is set in motion.

 4) Entrepreneur start to think about how to grow and multiply the business. Why is the incubation hub important?

Growth is the main purpose for the hub. The budding entrepreneur has to contend with a lot of factors which basically stifles growth,but if an incubation hub takes away most of these factors,then growth is inevitable.


Lets look at this idea: an entrepreneur wants to start making fruit juices ,he has to contend with power,rent of factory,employee, registration,documentation and so many hidden charges.


 When the budding entrepreneur sits down to calculate all he needs to start,he will have a rethink and postpone his startup and if he strives to startup he can only go mum-and -pop and if the idea is so great,the big guys will take over and hes out of business.

 Entrepreneurs in incubation hubs have a leverage such that much more can be done with his capital. Agribusiness with development of the value chains is a money spinner,but incubation hubs are the keys to drive the vision.

Thinking agribusiness,business development? think incubation hubs. Incubation hubs are more like furnished office spaces that you rent,you just go in do your business and go home.

  Agribusiness hub, a place setup for production,processing,packaging, distribution and even exportation.

The entrepreneur will just come in with idea,produce,package and sell while the hub will take care of necessary documents.#NAFDAC #NEPC #employee #certification. 

The incubation hubs  at advanced levels of production can provide  group certification of products, which will enhance productivity as well as facilitate easy tracing and tracking of projects.

The profit is worked out at a percentage that is fair for all parties and this will regulate the industry as you can easily trace and track products. Incubation hubs  are a jump start or kick starter approach to grow your business.

FUNAAB trains extension officers in cassava development.

FUNAAB trains extension officers in cassava development.The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Felix Salako, has joined the call on the need for the nation to move away from its overdependence on oil resources and embrace agriculture as a sustainable route to national development. The vice-chancellor stated this while declaring open the facilitation and communication skills training programme that was organised in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, by the Cassava, Adding Value for Africa II Nigeria Project, for Agricultural Development Programmes’ extension officers and procurement personnel of the large-scale cassava producers.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.Mozambique is among the key players at the forefront of the growing buzz around cassava, having found a way to farm and process the plant on a large scale.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop. Mozambique’s Impala Beer is made from cassava, a root vegetable that grows in tropical areas.There’s a quiet cassava revolution in Africa as organisations and governments realise the plant’s impact on empowering smallholder farmers and developing rural communities. AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop. At the heart of this development is the Dutch Agriculture Development and Trading Company (DADTCO). The company has developed a mobile processing factory that is able to process the crop into cake and starch flour. AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.Not only has DADTCO’s invention changed the perception around cassava and the way the crop is grown and processed, it has helped empower smallholder farmers, whom the company buys cassava from. This breakthrough technology, they say, “bridges the gap between smallholder farmers and large food companies.” At the beginning of the initiative, farmers used to sell an average of 1.5 tonnes of cassava roots per year, but now the number has more than tripled. This indicates the benefits of a steady market for those who grow the tropical plant.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to start a food business with cassava.

How to start food business with cassava . Cassava root is very rich in starch and contains significant amounts of calcium, dietary fiber, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Garri, is a staple food in most African countries with various ethnic groups relishing the delicacy and Nigeria been the highest producer of cassava has a lot of potential for the business of cassava and cassava products. Garri otherwise called cassava flakes is one of the products from cassava and its a delicacy enjoyed by all classes of people and all age groups. Garri is widely accepted and cuts across all tribes with each tribe modifying how they process,prepare and consume the garri. AGRIBUSINESS: How to start a food business with cassava. Cassava can be processed into various products adding value to the various products such as chips,cassava flakes,bread,cake e.t.c Learn how to make snacks with cassava and make money. Cassava Puto Ingredients: pressed grated cassava grated coconut Procedure: Prepare local steamer using the following materials, milk can (powdered milk) bao ng niyog divided into 2 using the sides with hole, grated cassava and water. Place the bao ng niyog to sit on top of the milk can and seal with grated cassava moist in water, allow to dry before using. Pulverize pressed grated cassava and allow to air dry for 30 min to 1 hour. Set aside. Fill the steamer with water until it boils. Place the grated cassava enough to cover the baong niyog then cover with banana leaves, invert the steamed cassava until both sides are cooked. Remove from the steamer and allow the piyutu to roll in grated coconut. Divide into bite size.

RESEARCH : Cassava as food and medicine.

RESEARCH : Cassava as food and medicine. Cassava as food and medicine. Among crop plants, the cassava plant provides the highest yield of food energy and is a staple food for more than 500 million people. Cassava root is very rich in starch and contains significant amounts of calcium, dietary fiber, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. RESEARCH : Cassava as food and medicine. A recent study conducted in the Philippines (one of the countries where cassava is an important crop) looked into the effects of root crops and legumes in lowering cholesterol levels among humans with moderately-raised cholesterol levels. The study showed that cassava significantly decreased total cholesterol levels, decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (considered as “bad” cholesterol), and may help lower triglyceride levels due to its high total dietary fiber content. RESEARCH : Cassava as food and medicine. Another study show that cassava may help support the nervous system and help alleviate stress, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome.Beside as a food, cassava also has many benefits as a drug, such as for rheumatic, headache, fever, wounds, diarrhea, intestinal worms, dysentery, night blindness, beri-beri, and also can increase stamina. Overcoming arthritis can be done by eating the cassava or rub it on the pain area.

AGRIBUSINESS: Garri on the go!!!!

AGRIBUSINESS: Garri on the go!!!! Garri, is a staple food in most African countries with various ethnic groups relishing the delicacy and Nigeria been the highest producer of cassava has a lot of potential for the business of cassava and cassava products.

 Garri otherwise called cassava flakes is one of the products from cassava and its a delicacy enjoyed by all classes of people and all age groups.

Garri is widely accepted and cuts across all tribes with each tribe modifying how they process,prepare and consume the garri. The standard when consuming the garri is by taking it with cold water or prepare it with hot water to make EBA another delicacy which can be consumed with any type of soup.

 AGRIBUSINESS: Garri on the go!!!! Garri on the go!!! this is an initiative of ECHBEE FOODS poised to make garri available when ever ,where ever its needed.

 In our fast paced world where everyone is looking for Instant stuff, garri on the go fits this profile as you can pack it in your lunch bag,purse,bag and carry to your office.

 Garri on the go is an agribusiness venture with export potential as cassava flakes are accepted all over with even Africans in diaspora seeking it out from African countries thus increasing its export potential.
Cassava flakes is highly nutritious , rich in dietary fiber, carbohydrates,and protein. Garri can easily be fortified with vitamin A to prevent eye problems especially night blindness.

Malnutrition in children can be addressed with feeding vitamin fortified garri, because its a staple food and easily accessible it can bee further fortified with other nutrients and minerals that will promote child development and growth.

 AGRIBUSINESS: Garri on the go!!!! Garri on the go, is processed from high quality cassava and packaged with groundnut for your delight.

Garri,is rich in carbs , is energy-giving and can be very handy when you need an energy boost. Garri with groundnut is cheap,very affordable.

The standard pack is 100 naira while the bigger version is 200 naira.


 AGRIBUSINESS: Garri on the go!!!! Garri is food and can also be medicine, garri can be used to treat diarrhoea.
When a person has diarrhoea,just give the person soaked garri and thee person is good to go.

Garri can also be used to treat wounds,when there is a cut bleeding profusely,just sprinkle some granules on the site to form a mat. The fiber in the garri will act as a substrate,initiating fast blood clotting before you seek medical care.

CASSAVA: HOW TO IMPROVE PROCESSING OF CASSAVA TO GARRI .

CASSAVA: HOW TO IMPROVE PROCESSING OF CASSAVA TO GARRI The processing can be improved by getting more people involved and by empowering those already in the business to ensure food security. Each level can further be expanded by empowering more people to go into the various sectors to boost production. The empowerment can be in form of loans, inputs, training, equipment and vehicles. Every level can be opened up to accommodate more players to improve production and expand market. The cassava tubers can be made into various products such as starch, tapioca, snacks etc. more

Cassava in the Livestock Feed Industry.

Cassava in the Livestock Feed Industry. Cassava called Manihot esculenta, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. 

Cassava is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils and Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, while Thailand is the largest exporter of dried cassava. Cassava can be processed into various products such as garri,tapioca, cake,bread and flakes for human consumption,but the peels can be processed and fed to animals. 

 Cassava is used in most tropical areas for feeding pigs, cattle, sheep and poultry. The dried peel of cassava roots are fed to sheep and goats, and raw or boiled roots are mixed into a mash with protein concentrates such as maize, sorghum, groundnut, or oil palm kernel meal and mineral salts for livestock feeding. Research has shown that cassava provides good quality carbohydrate, which may be substituted for maize or barley and that cassava rations are especially suitable for swine, dairy cattle, and poultry. 

 Cassava cannot be used as the main feed stuff because of its deficiency in protein and vitamins, but must be supplemented with other feeds that are rich in the required elements. The composition of a compounded ration varies depending on the specie of the animal such as cattle, pigs, or poultry and the kind of production which includes dairy, meat, or eggs. 

Oil cakes are the main ingredients in the feed for cattle, while feed grains are the most important for pigs and poultry. more

Cassava as a global livestock feed ingredient.

Cassava known mostly for its starch-rich tubers is a plant that also offers many possibilities to provide other lesser-known feed ingredients for man and livestock. Cassava is a plant that is very tolerant to poor growing conditions as it can be cultivated in regions suffering from poor soil, droughts and even frequent plant diseases. 

Under such conditions, it yields about 13 metric tons of tubers per hectare. Of course, when grown in near-ideal (tropical) conditions, yield can reach up to 80 metric tons of tubers per hectare. Cassava is the second largest carbohydrate-rich crop worldwide, with over 9 million hectares of cultivated land devoted to cassava production in Africa and Asia. 

Global cassava cultivation expands to Asia, Latin America and Africa due to high demands from the human, feed, industrial starch and ethanol industries. Thailand is the largest exporting country for cassava products but surpassed by Nigeria and Brazil, two countries that use their local cassava internally. Nigeria has used cassava extensively as food for man,making different products such as garri,tapioca, cassava chips,starch and flour. 

Cassava has also made an entrance to livestock feed to boost productivity and reduce cost of production by using local feed. Cassava peels and cassava root meal have been explored in livestock with good results,see The cyanide content of the plant is the major reason why many farmers are skeptical about using it but processing reduces the cyanide content and also cyanide content varies with cassava specie making the inclusion in livestock feed safe .

There are two types of cyanogenic glucosides in cassava: linamarin and lotaustralin, the first making up to 93 percent of total. When animals eat the raw cassava tubers or leaves ,they consume the cyanogenic compounds thus releasing the cyanide which is highly toxic to animals causing asphyxia and death. Processing the cassava removes the cyanide thus emphasis is on proper processing, when the cassava peels are sun dried or oven dried, linamarase enzyme is released and this comes into contact with the cyanogenic glucosides and releases hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which is volatile and evaporates, and because sun drying takes longer time span than oven it releases more of cyanide which makes the peels safe. 

 The processing removes as much as 90% by this processing method.The raw cassava pulp contains as much as 200 mg/kg HCN, whereas these levels are reduced to 31 and 27 mg/kg, by oven-and sun-drying, respectively. The whole tuber contains as much 400 mg/kg HCN, with the peel containing as much as 800 mg/kg. 

The leaves are even richer in this compound, containing up to 1,500 mg/kg. There are several varieties of cassava, ranging from 75 to 1,000 mg/kg HCN, and factors such as soil conditions, fertilizer and weather also affect the concentration of HCN, so choosing the variety with the minimum cyanide content will be a factor to jump start the processing for safety. 

 Cassava leaves can also used as feed ingredient but must be dried and milled to create cassava leaf meal, a material rich in protein and fiber but low in energy. The inclusion in feed must be with extra caution because of the very high levels of HCN in raw leaves. 

 The high level of cyanide in leaves can be reduced by proper processing, timing of the harvest and appropriate variety selection. 10 metric tons dried cassava leaf meal can be produced per hectare, this is a significant by-product, suited especially as an animal feed.

Farmer feeds fish with cassava peels and makes millions.

Farmer feeds fish with cassava peels and makes millions. Evangelist Peter Ododa, owner and proprietor of an agricultural company called New Life Farms Agriculture Nigeria Limited based in Angwan Jikwoyi, New Karu, Nasarawa State. The 54-year-old started farming with N6,000 about four years ago with a pond and a small hut. Today, he is the proud owner of 48 ponds within the farm land and also owns a plantation that is about two and half hectares where he grows guava, banana, plantain, cassava, maize and other crops. The mission of this farmer is to prove that nothing is a waste in this world. The farmer feeds his chicken and fish with various waste food items; for fish, he uses rejected bread, palm kernel, soya bean chaff, Barbara nut, cassava peel, rice chaff to mention but a few. He has also explored other waste products to produce fish feeds in such a way that in four to five months they grow very big. The fishes thrive well on these waste products ,and after feeding for two to five months, their weights were between 2-3kg which he sold and made a lot of money. This is how ,read

AGRIBUSINESS: How to turn cassava peels to poultry feed.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to turn cassava peels to poultry feed. Cassava peels can be processed into animal feed to feed cattle, sheep, goat,pigs,fish ans poultry. The processing of the peels for poultry feed is different as it has to be fine particles for easy digestibility. AGRIBUSINESS: How to turn cassava peels to poultry feed. The cassava peels are processed as follows 1) fresh and clean peels are used. 2)peels are sorted and only small to medium size peels are selected. 3) pour into a grater,grate 3 times. 4) pour in sacs, sack on one another in an hydraulic press to dewater. 5) 24 hours later pour cassava peel cake in flash dryer/ sun dry. 6) grate the dried cake again until fine or grate and leave coarse particle if other animals will be fed from this batch. AGRIBUSINESS: How to turn cassava peels to poultry feed. Cassava root meal(CRM) as a substitute for maize has been explored and the result was an increase in productivity.The effect of replacing maize with graded levels of cassava root meal (CRM) as energy source in the diet of laying hens was evaluated during the eight weeks of feeding experiment on performance and cost benefits on layers.The fresh cassava roots were peeled, washed and grated. The grated cassava mash was poured into a sack and pressed using a hydraulic pressing machine to remove excess water. The dewatered cassava mash was broken into fine granules and was sun dried on black polyethylene sheets, after which it was milled in a hammer mill and packed in bags as cassava root meal (CRM). Forty-five Nera black laying hens of 24 weeks of age were allocated to five dietary treatments, with nine birds per treatment in a completely randomized design. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks and result showed that replacement of maize by CRM up to 50:50 ratios did not significantly affect the hen-day egg production.more

RESEARCH: Cassava root meal as substitute for maize in layers ration. .

RESEARCH: Cassava root meal as substitute for maize in layers ration. The effect of replacing maize with graded levels of cassava root meal (CRM) as energy source in the diet of laying hens was evaluated during the eight weeks of feeding experiment on performance and cost benefits on layers. The fresh cassava roots were peeled, washed and grated. The grated cassava mash was poured into a sack and pressed using a hydraulic pressing machine to remove excess water. The dewatered cassava mash was broken into fine granules and was sun dried on black polyethylene sheets, after which it was milled in a hammer mill and packed in bags as cassava root meal (CRM). RESEARCH: Cassava root meal as substitute for maize in layers ration. Forty-five Nera black laying hens of 24 weeks of age were allocated to five dietary treatments, with nine birds per treatment in a completely randomized design. CRM was used to formulate the diets at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. The result showed that the feed intake of birds in the control group was significantly (p<0.05) different from those fed the CRM diets. The average weight gain of layers receiving up to 50% CRM was similar to the control birds, but significantly different from layers fed 75 and 100% CRM. No mortality was recorded. Egg production per hen per day and average egg weight were significantly different (p<0.05) for birds consuming more than 50% CRM in T4 and T5. Layer feed ration was made cheaper by the replacement of maize with cassava root meal in the diets. Forty-five Nera black layers were divided according to a completely randomized design into five groups of nine birds each. The birds were habituated for 2 weeks before the beginning of the feeding experiment, when birds were 24 weeks old. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. The processed CRM was used to formulate four diets such that maize was replaced by CRM at 25, 50, 75 and 100%, which are represented here as T2, T3, T4 and T5, whereas T1 served as the control diet without CRM. The composition of the five formulated diets is presented in Table below, layers were fed twice a day and water was provided ad libitum. Feed intake was measured daily. Individual birds were weighed before the beginning of the experiment to obtain initial body weight, and weekly thereafter. Eggs were collected twice a day and recorded. Also, 12 eggs from each treatment were weekly weighed to obtain mean egg weight. Birds were also observed for mortality. The replacement of maize by CRM up to 50:50 ratios did not significantly affect the hen-day egg production. However, CRM inclusion above 50% reduced (p<0.05) egg production and egg weight. Replacing corn by cassava up to 50% did not affect the performance of layers or egg quality and that the reduction in yolk pigmentation could be overcome by adding xanthophylls to the feed. More