In order for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to become less dependent on grain exports, the state and professional sectors must work to ensure that cassava flour, of which the DRC is the world’s second largest producer, becomes a leading ingredient in the manufacturing of domestically made breads and pastries.
With 41m tonnes harvested yearly, DRC is the world’s second largest producer of cassava, behind Nigeria’s 60m tonnes. That may change soon. To limit wheat imports, the Congolese authorities decided, at the end of 2020, to introduce cassava flour in the manufacture of bread and pastries. With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, DRC has found itself leaning more into this cassava shift to mitigate wheat-based food security.
