Embrapa will discuss the cassava value chain on the 25th

Next Thursday (September 25th), Embrapa's Agricultural Socioeconomics Network will hold another edition of its Socioeconomics Debates series at 9 a.m., this time focusing on the cassava value chain and its opportunities for sustainable development. The event will be broadcast live on Embrapa's YouTube channel, and participation is free and open to the public.

The panel will discuss the main obstacles that limit cassava's competitiveness, such as low mechanization, marketing bottlenecks, and technological challenges. It will also highlight priority research demands and innovation opportunities capable of streamlining the chain, expanding productive inclusion, and strengthening its governance.

Participating in the debate will be Robert S. Andrade L., a researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity International and Ciat, with a global approach; Fábio Isaias Felipe, a researcher at Cepea/Esalq-USP, with a focus on the Center-South and Southeast regions of Brazil; and Eloizio Barbosa Lopes Júnior, businessman and president of the Sector Chamber of the Cassava and Derivatives Production Chain, who will present a national perspective, with an emphasis on the North and Northeast regions. 

Among the moderators are researchers Carlos Estevão Cardoso and Alfredo Augusto Alves, both from Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Growing (Cruz das Almas, BA). 

Importance of strengthening the production chain

Cassava, a strategic crop for Brazil, is resilient to climate change and versatile as a raw material—used for flour, starch, animal feed, and bioproducts. Job Lucio Gomes Vieira, Strategic Intelligence Supervisor at the Strategic Advisory Board (Aest), explains that by bringing together experts from different regions and perspectives, the seminar seeks to consolidate a pluralistic and integrated vision on how to transform its potential into a driver of rural development, productive inclusion, and sustainability.

For researcher Carlos Estevão Cardoso, "more than presenting diagnoses, the meeting aims to propose practical paths. The panelists are expected to contribute to mapping bottlenecks, identifying research and technological innovation priorities, strengthening institutional coordination, and identifying market opportunities to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian cassava," he concludes.