Cassava is considered one of Thailand’s most important economic crops. Supplying around 68% of the global market, Thailand was ranked as the world’s largest cassava products exporter in 2019. Along with our neighboring countries in South East Asia, especially Cambodia and Vietnam, the global market share has reached 90%.
Thailand has a proven track record in cassava-related technology development as well as a proven capability for transferring this technology to neighboring countries. Throughout the course of 30 years, the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), a member of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand has developed the basic research and technology for distribution via training course. Research has also focused on improving the cassava yield and the introduction of a wider range of applications for starch, resulting in enhanced value addition to the raw material. Concurrent with these efforts has been researching and application on improving waste management and utilization.
In 2020, BIOTEC’s project entitled “Capacity Building on Circular Economy, Resource and Energy Efficiency for Productivity and Sustainability of Cassava Chain to High Value Products: Cassava Root, Native Starch, and Biogas in Mekong Countries (abbreviation: CCC)” was successfully funded by the Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund for a total amount of THB 12,960,105 (USD 394,005) for the period of 1 July 2022 – 31 December 2022. Led by Dr. Warinthorn Songkasiri, Director of Biochemical Engineering and Systems Biology Research Group, the CCC Project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of cassava value chain in the Mekong region which comprises Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand (CLMVT).
The CCC’s technology transfer and capacity building program is designed to cover 3 modules based on the results of gap analysis and voice of customer (VOC); (1) Cassava Cultivation: Techniques for Sustainable Production focuses on cassava cultivation and disease control to increase root productivities. (2) Cassava Starch: Processing Technology is another training course that provides information on production and utilization of cassava starch and concept of zero discharge. (3) Cassava Waste: Biogas Production and Waste Management covers mechanism of anaerobic digestion, affecting factors, solution, and guidelines to improve biogas process.
Researchers and experts from leading research and academic institutes and industrial partners in the cassava industry in CLMVT collaborated to bring the CCC Project to light. The project is participated by BIOTEC’s Waste Utilization and Management Research Team, Biochemical Engineering and Systems Biology Research Group and Cassava and Starch Technology Research Team, Functional Ingredients and Food Innovation Research Group, The Excellent Center of Waste Utilization and Management (ECoWaste), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT).
The capacity building program was held on 1 July – 31 August 2022 via online platform. The training’s handbooks, video clips and materials were created and translated into local languages to meet the needs of participants. Country Coordinators and Teaching Assistants in each country were assigned to facilitate the learning sessions and help participants. There were 102 participants from upstream (cassava growers and agricultural officers), mid-stream (starch factory operators) and downstream (Biogas factory operators) of the cassava value chain in CLMVT participated in the program. The cassava technology hub via the ASEAN Cassava R&D Center is established to transfer knowledge and technology to neighboring countries.
Officiated by Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D., Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the project closing ceremony and networking event was held on December 15, 2022 at Pullman Hotel, Bangkok, to publicize the success of the project, as well as the project’s lesson learned. The event gathered key stakeholders in the cassava industry from CLMVT providing an opportunity for building mutually beneficial relationships with other professionals within the industry.
