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Cassava/Tapioca: All
about ......
There are two types of
cassava planted in Thailand and elsewhere in the world.
The first is sweet cassava,
which is used for human consumption. This can have tough or tender
meat, and is not bitter. It also has a low hydro cyanic acid content.
Large amounts of this type are planted throughout the world. It is
planted in Thailand more for personal consumption than for trade,
since there is not large market for it.
The second type is bitter
cassava with a high hydro cyanic acid content. This is not suitable
for human consumption or animal feed. However, it is suitable for the
processed tapioca industries, such as tapioca tablets, tapioca flour,
and alcohol. There is a lot of this type of cassava planted in Thailand
Cassava or tapioca is one of
the most important commercial crops of Thailand. Production is very
simple, as it requires a minimal tending and grows well even on the
soils with poor fertility. It is also resistant to droughts, pests
and diseases. The return of the crop to farm investment is good.
Typically, the roots are harvested 8-10 month after planting. The
availability of roots supplied to the starch industry is nearly all
year round while the harvesting season is mainly in December and
continues for three months. Cassava in Thailand is produced for
export in the form of pellets and chips for animal feed and starch.
Thailand is third in the
world's cassava production, and the top among cassava exporting
countries (Table 2 and Figure 2). The total area for cassava is 2.6
million acres, producing 17 million tonnes annually. Cassava is found
mainly in the Northeastern part of Thailand. In year 2005, cassava
exports in dried pellets and starch was 4.044 million tonnes. Main
importing countris are the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, China,
Japan, South Africa, and Taiwan.
Table 1 Overview of cassava
production and trade
|
Unit |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
World |
|
|
|
|
|
Production |
Mt |
190.72 |
203.55 |
203.79 |
|
Trade (cassava equivalent) |
Mt |
9.00 |
12.65 |
N/A |
|
Thailand |
|
|
|
|
|
Planted area |
million acres. |
1.03 |
1.08 |
1.04 |
|
Production |
Mt |
19.72 |
21.44 |
16.94 |
|
Farm price |
Baht per kg. |
0.93 |
0.80 |
1.33 |
|
Domestic consumption |
Mt |
4.41 |
4.16 |
3.70 |
|
Exports (cassava equivalent) |
Mt |
5.37 |
7.02 |
4.98 |
|
Share of world trade |
% |
59.64% |
55.46% |
N/A |
|
|
|
|
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Thailand is the world's No.1 in
cassava equivalent exports, accounting for 56% of world's cassava
equivalent exports. (Figure 2)
Figure 2 Share of world trade
in cassava equivalent exports
The production of tapioca
starch in Thailand
|
Year |
Domestic (Tons) |
Export (Tons) |
Total production (Tons) |
|
2001 |
890,000.00 |
1,302,694.946 |
2,192,694.946 |
|
2002 |
900,000.00 |
1,328,532.091 |
2,228,532.091 |
|
2003 |
1,000,000.00 |
1,629,673.072 |
2,629,673.072 |
|
2004 |
1,100,000.00 |
1,790,417.972 |
2,890,417.972 |
|
2005 |
1,100,000.00 |
1,628,995.899 |
2,728,995.899 |
|
2006 |
1,200,000.00 |
2,334,472.827 |
3,534,472.827 |
Recently, Thailand has
entered into the production of ethanol as a source of biofuel. It can
increase octane and improve emissions quality of gasoline. The
government is targeting to replace gasoline up to 10% by using
ethanol. Petrol stations around the country are now offering
"gasohol" as an alternative to premium grade gasoline.
Ethanol is mainly produced from cassava, and to a lesser extent, bagasse. |
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