Cassava Flour Production in Nigeria: Process and Buyers (2026)

Cassava flour production in Nigeria is attractive for one reason: the product can be used by bakers, biscuit makers and other food manufacturers, not only households. It is also less forgiving than garri. The flour has to be fine, white, odourless and dry, and any delay or contamination shows up in the colour and smell. This guide explains the process of making high quality cassava flour (HQCF), the checks buyers care about, equipment categories, packaging and the bulk buyers worth approaching. We give no costs, yields or margins, because they depend on your site, scale and machines.

What high quality cassava flour is

IITA's training manual for cassava products, published by IITA in Ibadan, Nigeria in 2018 for a project in Liberia, describes HQCF as an unfermented, smooth, odourless, white or creamy and fine flour. It lists particle size of 250 to 500 micrometres and suggests the flour suits pastries, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, bread and convenience foods. That is why HQCF is sold to food manufacturers, while ordinary dried cassava flour is often sold for home cooking. You can find the manual in the CGIAR repository.

The HQCF process, step by step

The same IITA manual sets out the stages. As written there:

Harvest and timing. Use roots about 9 to 12 months old and process within 24 hours of harvest. If there is a delay, keep unpeeled roots shaded and covered.
Peel. Use stainless steel knives or a mechanical peeler and leave no peel fragments. Put peeled roots in water promptly.
Wash. Use potable water and rewash until no dirt, sand or odour remains.
Grate. Grate immediately after washing, with a clean, mechanised stainless steel grater.
De-water. Pack the mash into clean sacks on raised platforms and press mechanically until water stops draining.
Granulate and dry. Break the cake and dry it immediately. The manual describes a flash dryer, and notes that drying in rainy or very humid weather without a dryer is a risk.
Mill and sieve. Use a hammer mill with a sieve sized to give the target particle size, then sift if needed.
Pack. Use clean, insect-free, light- and moisture-proof packaging.

An older IITA manual on commercial use of cassava in Nigeria (2005) describes a simpler chip-based route: peel, wash, chip, dry, store chips in a woven sack on a raised platform in a clean, dry, airy place, then mill and sieve. Chips can be stored before milling, which helps when drying weather is unreliable.

Quality points that decide whether buyers re-order

The IITA manual lists HQCF quality parameters from earlier research, including moisture of 10 percent, ash of 1 percent, crude fibre of 2 percent and cyanide of 10 ppm. Treat these as reference points for your own testing programme, not as a legal specification, because a buyer or regulator may set different limits. Ask each large buyer for their written specification and test your flour in a laboratory before you quote. The same manual warns that poor peeling leaves flour fibrous and dirty. Common problems to design out are delay between harvest and grating, slow drying, dirty sacks, unclean milling equipment and moisture getting back in during storage.

Equipment categories for cassava flour production

Peeling and washing tables with stainless steel tools and clean water.
A mechanised stainless steel grater.
A press (hydraulic or screw) and clean press sacks.
A granulator or breaker and a dryer. IITA's manuals show flash, solar and forced-air types.
A hammer mill and fine-mesh sieves.
Scales, a sealer or stitching machine, and a raised, dry store.

Request quotes from several equipment suppliers and ask about spare parts and capacity. Prices vary too widely to quote responsibly.

Rules and registration for cassava flour production

Packaged flour sold in Nigeria goes through NAFDAC registration, and SON runs its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for manufactured products, according to its website. In 2014, SON told the press that it was reviewing and developing standards for cassava products with a focus on small processors. As that article is more than a decade old, ask SON which cassava flour standard currently applies to you. Start with our guides to NAFDAC registration and SON MANCAP certification. The IITA manual suggests that retail labels carry product name, manufacturer, batch number, net weight, dates, origin, registration number, ingredients and storage advice.

Packaging and bulk sales

For bulk sales to manufacturers the IITA manual describes 25 to 50 kilogram polypropylene sacks lined with polyethylene, with smaller bags in cartons for retail. A liner matters because flour absorbs moisture. Read packaging, labelling and shelf life for agro exports if you plan to ship further.

Who buys cassava flour in bulk and how to reach them

Bakeries and confectioners that blend cassava flour with other flours.
Biscuit, snack and food manufacturers that need a consistent ingredient.
Distributors and wholesalers that supply smaller shops.
Exporters who need documented product; see exporting garri and cassava flour.

Approach manufacturers with a one-page specification, a lab report, a sample and a clear MOQ and price tiers. Our post on MOQ and price tiers helps you set these up.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between cassava flour and HQCF? HQCF is the term used by IITA for unfermented, fine, white, odourless flour made under tight time and hygiene limits so that food manufacturers can use it.

How fast must cassava be processed? The IITA manual says to process within 24 hours of harvest.

Can I make cassava flour without a dryer? IITA describes chips dried and then milled, but warns against sun drying in wet or very humid periods. Dryer type is a cost and quality decision you should price with local suppliers.

Is cassava flour the same as garri? No. Garri is fermented and roasted into granules; HQCF is unfermented and milled into fine flour. See our guide to starting a garri business.

Next step

If your cassava flour production already meets a buyer's specification, apply as a supplier at /apply-manufacturer. It is free to apply, and we state that review takes about 24 to 48 hours. Upload your registration documents, add at least two sample product images, pick the category that fits, and publish MOQ and tiered prices. Watch the RFQ board for buyer requests that match your product. We cannot promise orders, and you arrange and pay for delivery yourself.