CBN-V Video Archives - S2-17
Reducing Post-harvest Deterioration of Cassava: Benefits for the Starch Industry in Thailand

Vlaar P.W.L., P. van Beek and R.G.F. Visser

Operations Research and Logistics Group & Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands richard.visser@users.pv.wau.nl

        Commercial development of the Thai cassava starch industry has gained momentum since multinational companies invested large amounts of money. However, the industry experiences a growing pressure of decreasing world market prices, rising wages, higher environmental demands and other environmental changes. To stay profitable, the industry must implement new concepts and introduce new techniques and products. One possibilities is the introduction of genetically modified cassava varieties which are less susceptible to post-harvest deterioration.
        The possible effects of the introduction of such a variety, on the cassava economy in the Northeast of Thailand were studied. It is expected that starch factories obtain higher starch yields and a more economic utilisation of their production capacities. If the post-harvest deterioration problem could be solved completely, the starch industry in the Northeast of Thailand would generate higher direct profits of twenty million US dollars. A lengthening of the post-harvest storage period of cassava could lead to a restructuring of the industry, and as a result smaller sized companies might be replaced by (fewer) larger-sized factories. Farmers will be confronted with higher transport costs and would probably concentrate themselves in areas near the remaining starch factories. The results of this study should enable policy makers and important actors in the cassava starch industry to anticipate possible new situations in which cassava is less susceptible to post-harvest deterioration. Furthermore it could provide useful arguments for the discussion on biotechnology and genetic modification, especially with respect to cassava in Thailand.

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