The Pacesetter Premium Cassava Merchants and Value Chain Actors (PAPCAMAVA) has expressed concern over the persistent decline in the cassava value chain, saying the situation is deepening the crisis in the agribusiness sector.

The President of the association, Mrs Jokotoye Kehinde, raised the concern in Abeokuta, while addressing journalists, policymakers and the wider Nigerian public, saying the lingering and deepening crisis had become increasingly difficult to absorb and demanded urgent and coordinated action.

Kehinde said the sharp decline in returns had threatened the viability of cassava production and placed growing pressure on farmers, processors and other actors across the value chain over the past two years. According to her, the situation had made it increasingly difficult for value chain actors to adjust their operations and remain economically viable.

While analysing, the President of the Association stated that a market survey conducted by the association showed that the price of cassava root tubers stood at N220,000 per tonne in May 2024, while garri was sold at N1,500 per kilogramme at the factory retail price.

In December 2024, the farm-gate price of cassava root tubers fell to N100,000 per tonne, compared with a factory-gate price of N120,000 per tonne. By May 2025, the farm-gate price had dropped further to N60,000 per tonne, while the factory-gate price stood at N70,000.

In December 2025, the price declined again, with the farm-gate price falling to N20,000 per tonne and the factory-gate price standing at N35,000. By May 2026, the farm-gate price had plunged to N5,000 per tonne, while the factory-gate price stood at N25,000.

PAPCAMAVA Boss further disclosed that the price of garri had declined to N750, despite increases in production costs, including land preparation, planting and labour.

She said members and other stakeholders in the sector had confirmed the severity of the crisis, adding that the situation was making it increasingly difficult for actors to operate effectively across the cassava value chain.

The association identified several measures to address the crisis, including reconnecting production with viable markets, encouraging policies and investments that would increase demand for cassava products and strengthening reliable linkages among producers, processors and markets.

Other recommendations include ensuring policy coherence, improving access to appropriate financing, strengthening processing and market infrastructure, linking productivity to profitability, and building the collective economic capacity of value chain actors.

She also said that PAPCAMAVA had benefited immensely from intensive capacity development supported by GIZ through the Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies project, adding that the initiative had equipped the association's leadership and committees with critical skills in organisational governance, business services development, strategic advocacy, resource mobilisation and value chain advisory.