Socio-demographic profile and awareness of value-added products and processing methods among cassava growers in Uttara Kannada district

Abstract

This study explores the socio-demographic profile and awareness of cassava growers regarding value-added products and processing in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. Conducted in four taluks Joida, Sirsi, Yellapur, and Siddapur, the study involved 280 cassava growers, selected using purposive random sampling (70 from each taluk). Results show 61.43% of growers fall within the middle-age category (35-55 years), with 51.83% belonging to nuclear families. Educationally, 28.21% have completed higher secondary education. Agriculture remains the primary occupation for 67.14%, predominantly on small landholdings (less than 2.50 acres). Awareness of industrial applications such as sago (95%), glucose (94.29%), and starch (46.43%) is relatively high, but knowledge of other value-added products like dextrin and ethyl syrup is limited. Most growers (42.86%) exhibit medium awareness of cassava-based value-added products. However, processing knowledge is minimal, with 100% lacking expertise in sago processing and 97.86% unaware of cassava flour production techniques. The study underscores significant gaps in awareness and technical knowledge, impeding the growers' ability to capitalize on value-added markets. These findings highlight the urgent need for tailored education and training programs to enhance their understanding of cassava product processing and improve their economic opportunities.