According to the Tanzanian media "Guardian" reported on August 12, 2022, Mbeya Province allocated 200,000 acres of land to be sold to China Ocean Corporation Limited for cassava cultivation.
China relies on imports of 90% of dried cassava, of which imports into Thailand often reach more than 90%. In the first five months of 2022, China imported 3.8 million tons of dried cassava, an increase of 1.17 million tons over 2021, and prices showed an upward trend.
According to relevant reports, adults can be fatal when they eat 1 kilogram of cassava at a time. One can't help but ask, why is cassava so toxic so widely cultivated? Where can cassava be grown? Why are cassava prices gradually rising? What exactly is it used for?
First of all, cassava is indeed toxic, because cassava root contains a substance that will form hydrocyanic acid after metabolism, and hydrocyanic acid is a highly toxic substance. Because the toxicity of different cassavas varies greatly, some cassava can be eaten directly without causing death.
If the more toxic cassava is treated, it can also be eaten boldly with confidence. Frequently used methods include soaking for a day and a night after peeling, boiling or steaming can also remove a large part of the toxins, of which high temperature cooking is the best. Farmers in the production area will have cassava after harvest, then peel it, cook it, dry it after it is fully cooked, and then crush it to become cassava flour, and there will be almost no toxin.
It is precisely because people have mastered the method of removing toxins that people are not afraid of the toxicity of cassava. However, every year, people will be poisoned by eating cassava, or even die. The main reason is that it is not cooked or steamed.
Cassava is native to the tropical regions of Brazil and has since spread to more than 100 countries and regions. The largest areas of cultivation in China are Guangdong and Guangxi, and are also cultivated in Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Fujian and Taiwan provinces, and even wild cassava has appeared in some places, but it is only a phenomenon left in the field after the cultivation of cassava.
In fact, cassava is the third largest staple food in the tropics, especially in tropical Africa, and many people will starve to death if they do not eat cassava, which has become a ration for 600 million people. Therefore, the largest growing area of cassava in the world is actually Africa, and its purpose is to fill the stomach, which is also a thing that cannot be done.
Fresh tapioca root starch content is 24%-32%, cassava flour content is about 73%-83%, much higher than sweet potatoes and potatoes. Cassava is not delicious, and eating too much will cause various problems. In addition to Africa, there are many other places that grow cassava, and their purpose is not to be used as food, but for industrial purposes such as processing feed, starch, brewing alcohol, etc.
Cassava drought tolerance is strong, barren tolerance, in a variety of soil can grow, the survival rate is very high, only need to bury a section of the stem in the soil can survive, and the yield is very high, usually, harvested once a year, an acre of land can harvest 2000 ~ 6000 kg, equivalent to an acre of land can harvest 500 ~ 1800 kg of starch, is the best food crop to solve the problem of food and clothing. If processed into cassava flour, the economic value is higher, so it is cultivated in India, Vietnam, Myanmar and other countries on a large scale. China's rapid economic development requires a variety of raw materials, and it is easy to understand the import of cassava in large quantities and the cultivation of cassava in Africa.
In the eyes of ordinary people, cassava is only suitable for tropical planting, in fact, the northern region can also be planted, the reason is very simple, sweet potato is also native to the tropical potato, different in the temperature after the seedling transplantation, in the autumn temperature drop after the harvest?
Cassava is suitable for planting in areas with an average annual temperature of more than 18 °C, and a frost-free period of more than 240 days can ensure yield. In the tropics, the roots of the underground are not frozen to death and can continue to grow the following year, thus forming a shrub state, while in the northern regions, they must be harvested every year before the frost falls and must be processed into cassava flour within 3 days.
Cassava can also be grown in the northern region, but the problem of propagating material, that is, robust stems, needs to be solved. In my opinion, it is entirely possible to grow cassava in greenhouses and use these cassava as propagation material for large-scale cultivation of cassava.
After solving the problem of propagating material, it is necessary to consider how to increase economic benefits, that is, how to extend the reproductive period. The solution mainly includes the use of small and medium-sized sheds to cut about 20 cm of stems in advance, and can also take mulch film to cover the cultivation of cassava, increase the growth period by more than 15 days, and can also retain water and fertilizer to avoid intermittent growth stagnation caused by excessive drought.
Of course, if conditions permit, you can also go to Africa to rent land and buy land to grow cassava, which may also be a rare development opportunity!
What is your opinion on this? #农技科普大赛第二季 #