The demand for cassava flour for bread, biscuit and snacks stands at 500,000 metric tonnes but supply is just at about 15,000 metric tonnes. PwC estimates that Nigeria would need about 28.3 million metric tonnes of fresh cassava root planted annually on about 1.2 million hectares of land to meet the country's demand. Most Nigerian cassava is produced across the country's southern and central regions. Cross River, Nigeria's southwestern- most state, had the highest level of production at 5 million tonnes in 2012. Kogi, to the east, produced 4.4 million tonnes. The third-largest producer, Benue, produced 3.7 million tonnes in 2012.
The High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) industry in Nigeria is dominated by small scale. Tapioca or Cassava is a kind of root enriched with vital nutrients. It is produced in large scale approximately 45 tonnes annually in federation states. It is expected that its production will be doubled by 2020
Cassava flour is made by slicing the peeled roots, followed by drying, pounding/milling, and sieving to separate the fiber from the flour (Aldana & Quintero, 2013; Lebot, 2019). Cassava flour is promising to be used as a food ingredient substitute for wheat and rice flour-based food products. Modern machines used here include cutting machine, rasper, desander and filter press. Peeled cassava is firstly cut into small pieces by cutting machine, and then small cassava pieces drop down to rasper machine for complete crushing.
For human consumption, harvesting usually takes place at about 8 to 10 months; for industrial uses, a longer growing period generally produces a higher root and starch yield. Apart from food, cassava is very versatile and its derivatives and starch are applicable in many types of products such as foods, confectionery, sweeteners, glues, plywood, textiles, paper, biodegradable products, monosodium glutamate, and drugs.