Constraints and opportunities of the Tamil Nadu industrial cassava value chain and market

Cassava (ManihotesculentaCrantz), a tuber crop, known to support rural communities for its caloric value and vast industrial applications, supports over 10,000 smallholder farmers in Tamil Nadu, India. Using quantitative and qualitative data collected from key informants along the industrial cassava market chain in Tamil Nadu, this paper analyses the market structure, supply, demand and market trends for industrially utilized cassava. This analysis is used to identify market constraints and opportunities amongst the value chain actors to support marketgrowth, with the goal of ultimately improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Tamil Nadu. Clear constraints were observed influencing market functions and actors. The industrial cassava industry is undergoing continual transition amidst pressurein an unregulated and fluctuating marketplace, additionally impacting demand trends. The market, composed of diverse production units relative to size and economical value, has become highly competitive resulting in constraints related to product quality and production methods. These constraints have direct impacts on farmers, who often take the greatest economical risk along the value chain. Key recommendations resulting from this research include further exploration of a regulated market, establishing industrial production standards, improving quality standards, and further development of marketing methods. Essential to these recommendations is a collaborative effort towards innovation along the entire value chain, as growth needs to be collectively pursued to ensure sustainable market function and fair distribution of rents.