Evaluation of introduced cassava processing technologies on production and consumption using goal programming approach

This study which evaluates the introduced cassava processing technologies on production and consumption using goal programming approach was conducted in Tongwe village (Muheza district) in Tanga region and Mikongeni village (Kibaha district) in Pwani region. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 120 households, 2 focus group discussions and by experimentation. The results of the study show that, the introduced cassava processing technologies are both technically and economically efficient. The machines such as engine powered chipper and grater consume 5 litres of fuel (petrol) to process about 1- 1.2 tonnes of fresh cassava. To process 5 kg of fresh cassava the machines take 3 minutes. Moreover, it takes about 1-3 days to obtain a final product (cassava flour) whereas traditional processing technology (sun-drying) takes about 6 days and wet and solid-state fermentation takes about 12 days. Analysis of the partial budget revealed that mechanized processing technologies generate an average profit of TZS 316.43 per kilogram dry weight compared to traditional processing technologies. Analysis of the consumer’s preferences with respect to processing methods by probit regression analysis, factors such as quality of the products, household size, quantity consumed per year and price of those products were significant at α = 0.05 level, suggesting that there is an increase in consumption behaviour. To estimate future trend of demand and hence production for processed cassava flour using goal programming approach indicated that about 128 571.4 tonnes can be produced in the two districts, if farmers use the said technology in full scale. The study concluded that, the use of mechanized processing technologies is more profitable. Therefore, the study recommended that, the farmers do adopt manual chipping machine for small-scale farming, moreover engine powered chipper and cassava grater for large-scale farming rather than using traditional processing technologies.