Abstract:
The aim of this study among others, was to analyse the value additions of three cassavabased
products namely, High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF), gari and kokonte and to
determine the profitability of HQCF bakery products in Atebubu.
A value added analysis was used to determine the profitablity of the three cassava-based
products. Three profitability measures were used to determine the profitability of HQCF
bakery products. These were, operating profit, profit per unit product and return on
investment. A bar chart of output levels was used to represent the trend in production of
HQCF. Finally, the Kendal’s Coefficient of Concordance (W) was used to analyse the
ranking of the constraints affecting the production of HQCF.
Only HQCF had positive values for the two prices seasons that were considered, that is, the
lean price season and high price season. Production of dough nut (“bo/rot"), and “sweet
bad”, chips and meat pie with 50% HQCF composite flour yielded better financial returns
than that of 100% wheat flour. Similar results were obtained from the production of bread
and cake with 12% HQCF, and 100% HQCF respectively. However the use of 22% HQCF
composite flour for bread yielded lower profit than the use of 100% wheat flour.
The rankings of the identified constraints affecting HQCF production were subjected to the
Coefficient of Concordance analysis. The results were that farmers did not collectively agree
to the rankings of the identified constraints, which included, drying space, distance from the
mill, frequent breakdown of the screw presser storage room, harvesting of cassava, distance
from the farm, the absence of a micro finance scheme among others.
HQCF bakery products competed favourably with wheat flour bakery products in all the
profitability measures used. The promotion and use of HQCF bakery products must be
pursued by serving HQCF bakery products at state functions and institutions like the
secondary schools that receive subvention for feeding This will go a long way to popularize
HQCF bakery products and reduce the foreign exchange used for the importation of wheat
and wheat flour into the country.
