Present situation and future potential of cassava in China

In China, cassava is planted mainly in the southern provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and Yunnan. The annual total area and production is about 400,000 ha and 6,000,000 tonnes of fresh roots, respectively. Guangxi is the main cassava producing province with more than 60% of both cassava growing area and production. Following the success of research on cassava product development and the development and dissemination of promising varieties, the cassava yield in the province has increased substantially during the last ten years.
The cassava processing industry is mainly concentrated in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces. Of the approximately 525,000 tonnes of cassava-based products processed annually in China, 73% comes from Guangxi, about 20% from Guangdong, 6% from Hainan and 2% from Yunnan. About 95% of these products are starch or modified starch. Considering the natural resource conditions and the rapid development of the cassava industry in Guangxi, it is clear that the present status and future potential of the cassava industry is more favorable in this province as compared to other provinces. Especially since the beginning of the 1990s, the cassava industry in Guangxi developed very fast. In view of the great potential to further develop this crop, the government of Guangxi has organized a group of experts to work out a future plan of cassava development in Guangxi for the next 20 years. Other cassava producing provinces have not yet developed similar plans.