Effect of Cassava Value Addition on the Income Generation of Farm Households in Etinam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study was conducted on the effect of cassava value addition on the income generation of households in Etinam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A total of 120 respondents were sampled through multi-stage random sampling technique. Primary data were collected from the respondents with structured questionnaire. Data generated were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics such as percentage, frequency counts and factor analysis. The result showed the major cassava value addition activities and the value added products of the farm households to include garri (100 %), fufu (100 %), cassava flour (80 %), livestock feed (60 %) and tapioca (54.17 %). Value added products of the industrial use processed by cassava value addition were ethanol (26.67 %), starch (36.67 %) glucose syrup (13.33 %) and cassava adhesive (15 %). Result on income differentials due to value addition showed that equal quantities of raw cassava tubers processed to garri yielded N5, 000 gain as a return to value addition, N3, 500 for fufu, N7, 700 for cassava flour and N4, 150 for ethanol, etc. However, the major constraints to cassava value addition in the area were categorized into market and information, institutional and economic, and infrastructural and labour factors. It was concluded that cassava value addition has positive influence on the income generation of farm households in the study area. Domestically, cassava value added food products yielded higher income to the households than industrial cassava value added products due to their over reliance on local markets for the marketing of the products. It was recommended among others, that producers should be linked to efficient marketing information systems suitable for their value addition activities.