Cassava Starch Tanzania Corporation (CSTC) produces cassava flour between 3-6 hours

The Cassava Starch Factory in Lindi region

27 March, 2019: The Executive Director of Tanzania Investment Centre Geoffrey Mwambe conducted a field tour in Lindi to visit companies/projects facilitated by the Centre.  Among of the projects visited is Cassava Starch Tanzania Corporation (CSTC). It is a French company registered by the Centre investing in cassava growing and processing. The aim of the visit was to observe on the way projects are implemented due to tax incentives offered by the Center on behalf of the government, and also to see the positive changes brought by the project to society projects and the nation in general. The visits also focused on identifying the challenges faced by investors and suggest solutions. The factory is unique based on its technology of processing fresh cassava tubes from the farm and produce cassava flour between 3-6 hours. The technology is a solution to traditional flour production which normally took about seven days.

Cassava farm

The factory was launched on 22^nd March, 2019 by Hon. Kassim Majaliwa the Prime Minister of United Republic of Tanzania. At the first phase, the factory will produce high quality of cassava flour and second phase will be starch production. At phase two, the factory will need more raw materials to feed two factories, out-grower program will be involved by training smallholders’ cassava farmers on modern agriculture practices and land preparation with the aim of increasing cassava production and quality which is required by the factory.

The area where Processing starts 

 The process of producing cassava flour starts from extracting fresh cassava as raw materials and   produce cassava flour within 24 hours.  At the first phase, the factory will not take cassava from farmers rather it will use raw materials from their farm to maintain standard. The company owns land of 10,000 acres for growing and producing organic cassava tubers to be fed to the factory. With their own farm the factory is assured of supply of raw material though out the year. According to Eng. Alban Bret, 3000 tons of fresh cassava is capable of producing 1000 tons of cassava flour. According to CSTC Managing Director, Christophe Gallean the project/factory at full operations will create about 400 employment, it will also initiate out-growers program, construction of dam,  attract social services and produce high quality cassava flour to serve different markets domestic, East and Southern Africa, Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Mwambe (between) listening to  Eng.  Alban Bret (left)  on the way cassava is processed to produce flour 

Cassava is a food crop in most of the semi-arid and the frequently drought areas. However the crop changing and becoming a cash crop due to increased demand for food and industrial needs. Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database of 2012 recorded Tanzania as the 12^th largest cassava producer in the world and the 6^th largest in Africa after Nigeria with an estimated product of 5.4 million tones.  Others countries are the DRC, Ghana, Angola and Mozambique.

The Executive Director takes this opportunity to invite investors both domestic and foreign to invest in agro-processing to support the government’s development initiatives towards industrialization and middle income country by 2025.