Nigeria, 1961 - Two Dutch experts, Mr Melle Zwankuizen and Mr. Gustaaf Baumer, were recently in Nigeria on a technical assignment to improve the processing and use of cassava and other crops. Mr. Baumer was mainly engeged in the improvement and development of gari processing (from cassava tubers), working with a pilot plant of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research at Lagos. This plant has provided the basis for planning a commercial unit processing 10 tons of dry gari a day. Mr. Baumer also investigated the possibility of establishing tapioca starch factories in Nigeria, which comes from the same source as gari.
This photograèh shows cassava gardens showing inadequate upkeep. The plants are crowded by bush and weed growth.