The Chief Executive Officer of Ayensu Starch Company Limited, Mr. Evans Kwame Ayim has expressed his disappointment at government’s inability to capitalize on the huge potential in the cultivation of cassava in the country. Starch which is a bye-product of Cassava he said is being referred to as invisible ingredient and finds expression in many industries ranging from textile to pharmaceuticals..
He explained that, his disappointment is that in the whole world, there are regions that can produce starch year round, in the tropics, South-East Asia, South America and Africa. According to him, the industry is worth over 30 billion dollars, but successive governments’ in Ghana have paid lip service to the sector.
He noted about half of cassava produced in Ghana is never harvested and ended up going to waste, maintaining that Africa is the next continent with huge potential of producing enough cassava to feed factories. Sharing his experience at the TIAST-Stanbic Bank agriculture industrialization conference in Tamale, Mr. Ayim said even though TIAST intervention to providing equipment and financing cassava cultivation is risk, it will serve as a game changer.
He believes TIAST-Stanbic bank partnership will help change the lives of many farmers who hitherto only produce raw materials with very little value.
