Development of Cassava-Based Value-Added Product According to Vanuatu Circumstances

Abstract

Cassava (Manihotesculantacrantz) in most developing countries such as in South America, Africa and South East Asia is becoming popular in its potential of value added products.Due to its rapidly deterioration within 40-48 hours after harvest, manufactures prefer to convert cassava tubers into more stable forms such as chips and flours so as to prolong the shelf life of the product.Cassava chips and flours are produced as value added products, found great use in food formulation activities in proceed food industries. More recently, the food crop is an important crop for various value added products in bakery, pastry and confectionary industries. In Indonesia, the crop remains first and foremost a food crop used in great variety of dishes. In the outer district of TrenggalekRegency in East Java Province, the root crop has been an alternative income besides other commodities. The region has been involved in various developments on cassava value added product. One of these developments is the production of modified cassava flour(mocaf). Mocaf has recently been introduced as one way of improving the characteristics of cassava flour through fermentation principles of lactic acid.This new product is no inferior to wheat flour and has high potential to substitute wheat flour in most of its applications. On the other hand, in Vanuatu where cassava is one of the stable food, have lack the knowledge to benefit from this common root crop. Since the driving force to be able to benefit from cassava has never been ceased, this research was well designed to fill this gap of development in Vanuatu as a means to provide alternative income besides copra, cocoa, kava and cattle. The research is intended to study the whole process of developing cassava value added products from farm to table.Lesson learned from the research will be appllied according to Vanautu circumstances. Thus, there is no better lesson learned and knowledge gained than to start with the six principles of supply chain management as an approach to identify the three selected management style in the outer districts of Trenggalek region. These management style includes famer, cluster and cooperation. The method used were direct participatory (observation, practise, interview and discussion) along with Supply Chain Management(SCM) approach as means to study their efficiency and profitability along the supply chain. The research performed SWOT analysis on the overall operation of the management style based on SCM approach. Hence, it is concluded that best potential management style development towards cassava value added product according to Vanuatu circumstance would be the farmer and cooperation management style. The two management style execute good mutual relationship and creative logistics as far as SCM concept is concerned. With that value, it is believedit would reduce difficulties and constraints in Vanuatu circumstances where finance and lack of government policies are still very uncertain. As such, appropriate strategies were developed from the lesson learned and integrated into Vanuatu circumstances.The strategies in reducing market risks by working towards interdependency among supply chain members, Cooperating to learn how to create value together and then collaborating to consistently utilise the new value as a source of competitive advantage. The need to establish relationships as a platform to build additional new markets encompasses the need to innovate together which will contribute towards shared economy based on local potential crop to a wider economy.Thus, this new development will be a means to explore value added opportunities among other potential local commodities through food technology skills and knowledge.