Eswatini (Commonwealth Union)_Addressing one of the most challenging issues facing the African continent, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is exploring the prospects of developing cassava as a substitute for wheat imports. Like all developing countries, Eswatini is facing foreign exchange difficulties and importing wheat depletes a sizeable portion of its reserves.
Cassava has the unique ability of growing in poor soils and regions, especially those prone to drought, placing great importance on the role it plays in food security. It is the world’s fourth most important staple crop and the country is calling for the private sector to assist with the necessary R&D and technology to produce and mill the cassava. This will not only improve Eswatini’s food security but also generate employment ensuring sustainable incomes and money circulation within the economy.
Rapid post-harvest deterioration too can be stemmed by processing cassava for starch, adding value to end products, with the supply chain prompting employment opportunities. With a high demand for cassava in neighbouring countries, Eswatini has potential to export the processed value added product, which will add foreign exchange revenue to the country’s forex reserves.
Eswatini’s plans to introduce cash crops will be a measure to retain money within the economy, empower the population by uplifting lifestyles and create a sustainable economy. However, all this is dependent on R&D which must focus on commercializing the prospective crops. Currently, Eswatini only budgets 0.26 per cent of GDP for R&D, which is minute if it hopes to create a sustainable economy that will not just feed its nation, but also create sustainable income avenues.
The African nation imports large quantities of wheat for its population of 1.17 million people, with the natural fauna severely depleted in recent years due to habitat destruction caused by human development. Based on subsistence and commercial farming of corn, sorghum and vegetables, crop yields are generally low. Eswatini’s largest agro-industry and largest export is sugarcane and the manufacture of sugar and the second largest export is unbleached wood pulp.
