Farm To Grow — Investor Pitch
Scaling cassava processing hubs to empower smallholder farmers
Executive Summary
A market-driven intervention to mechanise cassava processing and build resilient rural value chains.
This initiative will deploy industrial peeling machines across 32 processing hubs, integrate 400 smallholder farmers, and create stable income streams while reducing post-harvest losses.
The Problem & Opportunity
Cassava processing is labour‑intensive and suffers high post‑harvest losses. Mechanisation and organised processing hubs present an immediate opportunity to increase yields, improve safety, and generate market‑ready products for national and regional markets.
Key Challenges
- High manual losses (40–50%) from inefficient processing.
- Unsafe, slow, and unreliable local machines.
- Limited access to markets and packaging for higher-value products.
Opportunity
- Mechanisation can multiply productivity and reduce losses.
- Growing demand for gari, flour, and chips across markets.
- Value chain integration creates jobs and income for women and youth.
Investment Breakdown
Machines & Installation
$800,000
12% of budget
Processing Sheds & Civil Works
$1,200,000
18% of budget
Fuel & Running Costs
$950,000
14% of budget
Personnel & Labour
$750,000
11% of budget
Training & Safety Gear
$500,000
7% of budget
Packaging & Branding
$600,000
9% of budget
Logistics & Transport
$477,000
7% of budget
Monitoring & Admin
$1,400,000
21% of budget