Cassava & Potato Value Chains: The Times Group Confronts Economic Challenges in Malawi

Key Business Points

• Malawi’s cassava and sweet potato potential remains underused, so local processors should start small scale starch and flour production.
• Export demand is strong for cassava starch, but Malawi lacks large scale supply of 50,000 to 100,000 metric tonnes each year.
• Better market links and processing capacity are urgent, and investors should support value addition, aggregation, and local wheat flour substitution.

Malawi is among the world’s leading producers of sweet potatoes and cassava, but it is failing to tap into the huge export potential for value added products such as starch and flour. The global cassava starch market alone is valued at approximately 6 billion US dollars. However, despite Malawi’s annual cassava production estimated at more than six million metric tonnes, only a negligible amount is processed, with no significant export volumes reported.

Industry players attribute the situation to limited commercialisation, weak market systems that undermine efficient production and combining small farms into bigger supply groups, and inadequate industrial processing capacity. This emerged during the launch of Root and Tuber Crops Commemoration Week in Lilongwe City on Tuesday, when players in the subsector showcased their products and services.

Gondwe said more work needed to be done to harness the existing market. "We have huge demand for exports but that market requires large volumes of between 50,000 and 100,000 metric tonnes annually, which we cannot currently supply," Gondwe said.

A study by the International Potato Centre estimates the annual trade value of root and tuber crops at least 17 million US dollars. However, with much of the produce traded through informal msika, the estimate is considered highly conservative.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to substitute wheat flour with cassava flour, a move that could potentially save Malawi about 60 million US dollars annually in wheat import costs. However, most players in the cassava value chain are still operating on a small scale.

Speaking at the event, Controller of Agricultural Services Jerome Nkhoma, who was the guest of honour, blamed fragmented efforts and weak linkages among stakeholders for the subsector’s limited progress. He cited inadequate supplies of quality planting materials, unpredictable market prices and exploitative buyers as factors constraining growth.

However, Nkhoma pointed to initiatives such as the Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship Project, which seeks to establish sustainable production, marketing and supply systems in the agriculture sector.

For Malawi’s business community, the key takeaway is practical. Local entrepreneurs should study cassava starch and flour markets. Small scale processors should test local demand while larger players prepare for export contracts. Farmers should consider forming groups to improve bargaining power. Investors should focus on processing capacity, quality inputs and reliable market links.

The story shows that Malawi has the production base, but not yet the commercialisation engine. If the private sector, government and research partners align, value added cassava and sweet potato products could move from informal msika to global markets. That would create chuma opportunities and support economic growth.

Processors should also plan for quality testing and packaging. Farmers should ask for better prices and transparent contracts. Local authorities should support investment in milling and storage. These steps can help turn Malawi from a cassava producer into a cassava value adder.

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