ABSTRACT
In the Western Hemisphere, Brazil dominates the production of cassava, accounting for four-fifths of the cassava in Latin America and one-fifth of world production. The only global data on cassava consumption are in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food balance sheets, which are at best a rough guide to the real situation. The FAO Food balance sheets give estimates of cassava consumption for whole countries, but consumption patterns may vary substantially from area to area within a country. Cassava is also a staple food in the jungle regions of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, on the north coast and in the Santander Department of Colombia, and in the rural areas of many Caribbean islands. The cassava plant is a perennial woody shrub. Cassava is grown in areas where the rainy season is longer than the dry season, and under the conditions woody materials are rarely well conserved.
