The cassava value web and its potential for Colombia’s bioeconomy

The document analyzes the cassava value web in Colombia, identifying its current uses in food, animal feed, and industrial materials, while highlighting potential for expansion into bioplastics and bioethanol. It maps commercial, financial, and knowledge linkages across four main production nuclei: Cauca, the Atlantic Coast, Orinoquía, and Amazonía. The paper argues that while Colombia is the third largest producer in Latin America, low productivity and limited technification hinder its competitiveness. It recommends developing inclusive supply chains, promoting sustainable agricultural practices to protect biodiversity, and increasing incentives for private sector innovation to transition toward a sustainable bioeconomy.

• Colombia is the third largest producer of cassava in Latin America, but its average yield of 11.34 ton/ha is significantly lower than that of Thailand (22 ton/ha), Brazil (14 ton/ha), and Paraguay (18 ton/ha).
• The vast majority of national cassava production (94.4%) is used for direct human consumption, with only 5.6% destined for industrialization.
• Colombia faces an unsatisfied demand for cassava starch, importing 13,400 tonnes (valued at USD 6.5 million) from Paraguay in 2019 to address shortages in the second half of the year.
• The cassava value web in Colombia is concentrated in four productive nuclei: Cauca (focused on sour starch), the Atlantic Coast (human consumption and industrial cassava), Orinoquía (high-yield fresh cassava for Bogotá), and Amazonía (indigenous production of artisanal products like tucupí).
• Financial access for small producers is limited by a lack of land ownership, leading them to rely heavily on microfinance institutions rather than state financing.
• Knowledge generation for primary production is led by CIAT and Agrosavia, while processing innovation is driven by universities (such as the University of Cauca) and organizations like CLAYUCA.
• There are significant opportunities to increase domestic demand by replacing imported wheat flour in School Feeding Programs (PAE) with cassava flour and replacing imported corn and soybeans in the animal feed industry with local cassava biomass.
• The University of Cauca has developed patents for biodegradable plastics using cassava flour, starch, and bran, though commercial-scale production remains a challenge due to the high price of domestic root compared to imported inputs.
• Environmental challenges associated with the cassava value web include the uncontrolled use of herbicides, soil erosion from hillside crops, and the discharge of cyanide-rich wastewater from sour starch production.

APA

Canales, N., & Trujillo, M. (2023). The cassava value web and its potential for Colombia’s bioeconomy. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.038-cassava-value-web-colombia-bioeconomy.pdf

Chicago

Canales, Nella, and Mónica Trujillo. The cassava value web and its potential for Colombia’s bioeconomy. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.038-cassava-value-web-colombia-bioeconomy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Canales |first1=Nella |last2=Trujillo |first2=Mónica |title=The cassava value web and its potential for Colombia’s bioeconomy |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.038-cassava-value-web-colombia-bioeconomy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canales2023cassava, author = {Canales, Nella and Trujillo, Mónica}, title = {{The cassava value web and its potential for Colombia’s bioeconomy}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.038-cassava-value-web-colombia-bioeconomy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }