News: South India’s tapioca (cassava) crop has recovered from a severe infestation of cassava mealybug following the successful release of a biological control agent, the parasitic wasp Anagyrus lopezi, by ICAR–NBAIR.
About Cassava/Tapioca Crop
- Cassava is a starchy root crop from the Euphorbiaceae family. It is also known as yuca, mandioca, manioc, or tapioca.
- Conditions required:
- Soil: Well drained soil preferably red lateritic loam with a pH range of 5.5 -7.0 is best suited for tapioca cultivation.
- Climate: It thrives best in tropical, warm humid climate with well distributed rainfall of over 100 cm per annum.
- Elevation: This crop can be cultivated upto an elevation of 1000 m.
- Season and planting: Planting can be done throughout the year under irrigated condition. For rainfed cultivation, planting can be taken up during April.
- Introduction into India: It was brought to India by the Portuguese in the 17th century in the Malabar region of present-day Kerala.
- Production in India: In India, cassava is grown on about 1.73–2.28 lakh hectares, primarily in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which together account for more than 90 percent of national output.
- It is also cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, etc.
- India has historically achieved high yield levels of about 35 tonnes per hectare, significantly above the global average of 10.76 tonnes.
- Export from India: India exports cassava and its products such as raw tubers, flour, meal of sago, starch of manioc and sago and tapioca and its substitutes to countries like U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Oman, European nations, Kuwait and the United States of America.
- India exports value-added tapioca products worth nearly ₹200 million annually.
- Global Producer and Exporter: Nigeria is the world’s biggest and most consistent cassava producer worldwide.
- However, Thailand is the world’s largest supplier of cassava, as it is currently responsible for roughly 70 percent of total world exports.
