In many homes across Benin City and rural communities in Edo State, survival does not begin in an office or a factory. It begins on small farms, in smoky local kitchens and inside crowded markets where women rise before dawn to prepare cassava meals for customers struggling with the harsh realities of Nigeria’s economy.
For thousands of families, cassava has become more than an ordinary crop. It is the quiet backbone of household survival. It pays school fees, settles hospital bills and keeps food on the table at a time when the prices of rice, bread and other staples continue to rise beyond the reach of many low-income earners.
Behind every basin of garri displayed in the market and every steaming wrap of fufu served to customers is a story of hard work, resilience and determination. From farmers cultivating cassava in remote villages to women processing and selling its products in urban markets, an entire chain of livelihoods now depends on the humble tuber.
In Edo State, cassava is not simply eaten; it is lived. And in communities where jobs are scarce and economic pressure continues to weigh heavily on households, the crop is helping many families hold on to dignity and hope.
Every morning at Ekiosa Market, 48-year-old Mama Blessing begins another long day beside steaming pots of boiling cassava. Before sunrise, she peels tubers bought from farmers in Ovia, ferments them and pounds them into soft balls of fufu for hungry customers who troop into the market from different parts of the city.
By the end of the day, she would have sold about 20 balls of fufu at ₦600 each, earning ₦12,000 in total sales.
After removing the cost of cassava, firewood and water, her daily profit stands at roughly ₦2,000. It may appear modest, but for Mama Blessing, that money feeds a family of five and helps keep two children in school.
Across Edo State, thousands of families share similar stories. From farmers cultivating cassava in rural communities to women processing garri in crowded urban markets, cassava has quietly become one of the strongest pillars of household survival and small-scale commerce.
For many residents, cassava is more than a staple food. It is income security in difficult economic times.
At Uselu Market, another trader, popularly known as Aunty Grace, has built a steady business around garri sales.
She purchases 100 kilograms of processed garri from a cooperative in Orhionmwon and repackages the product into one-kilogram nylon sachets for retail customers.
Each sachet sells for about ₦1,500, and in a good week she can move as much as 80 kilograms. Her weekly profit averages ₦15,000, but during school resumption periods and festive seasons, demand rises sharply and her monthly earnings can climb to ₦150,000.
Unlike many food products that spoil quickly, garri can be stored for long periods, allowing traders to take advantage of price increases during periods of scarcity.
At New Benin Market, Aunty Ngozi has also found financial stability through cassava-based meals. She prepares abachar, a local delicacy made from dried shredded cassava mixed with palm oil, fish and vegetables.
Using 50 kilograms of dried cassava chips purchased for ₦25,000, she produces about 100 plates of food which she sells at ₦500 per plate. Her daily revenue can rise to ₦50,000, while profit after expenses averages ₦20,000. Working only three times weekly, she earns enough to support her household comfortably.
The popularity of abachar among students, civil servants and low-income earners reflects the growing importance of affordable local foods in a period of rising food prices.
Economic experts and local traders alike say cassava remains one of the few crops that supports an entire value chain at community level. A single tonne of cassava can generate income for farmers, processors, transporters and retailers simultaneously.
This became particularly evident during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown when prices of imported foods such as rice and wheat products rose sharply. In many Edo homes, garri and fufu became the reliable alternatives that helped households survive the period of economic uncertainty because the crop was readily available and locally produced.
For smallholder farmers, cassava cultivation also presents a rare opportunity for stable income generation.
Agricultural estimates show that one hectare of cassava farmland can yield up to 25 tonnes within nine months.
At the current farm gate price of about ₦80,000 per tonne, a farmer can generate nearly ₦2 million in revenue. After production expenses estimated at ₦600,000, the farmer may retain around ₦1.4 million as profit over the planting cycle.
For rural households in communities such as Irrua, Akoko-Edo and Ovia, such earnings can make the difference between poverty and modest financial stability. School fees, medical bills and farming reinvestments are often funded directly from cassava proceeds.
Beyond the local markets, processing plants within Edo State are also helping to sustain the industry, though many operators say the sector still faces serious infrastructure challenges.
The cassava processing facility located in Iguobazuwa, Ovia South West, was designed to process about 10 tonnes of cassava daily into garri and fufu flour. However, power supply problems have reportedly limited operations to a fraction of installed capacity.
Stakeholders believe that with improved investment and stronger public-private partnerships, the plant could become a guaranteed market for hundreds of cassava farmers across surrounding communities.
Similarly, in Uromi, the Edo Starch and Ethanol Company has continued to source cassava directly from local outgrower farmers for starch production supplied to bakeries in Benin and Auchi. The arrangement offers farmers a more stable buyer and reduces dependence on unpredictable open market pricing.
Industry observers say the sector possesses enormous untapped potential, especially if small-scale vendors are supported with better packaging, food safety training and cooperative financing.
Many women traders still sell garri and cassava products openly in basins exposed to dust and contamination. Agricultural extension workers believe simple packaging improvements and certification from agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control could significantly raise the market value of these products.
Under cooperative arrangements, groups of women can jointly acquire manual graters, hydraulic presses and solar dryers, reducing production costs while increasing output and profits. Properly branded and packaged garri products could also gain entry into supermarkets, schools and institutional feeding programmes.
For many residents, the future of cassava in Edo State lies not only in farming but in value addition and organised processing.
In communities where unemployment continues to push young people toward migration in search of opportunities, cassava remains one of the few economic activities capable of generating income close to home.
From the woman selling fufu in Ekiosa Market to the farmer harvesting tubers in Ovia, cassava continues to serve as a quiet but powerful source of survival for thousands of Edo families.
In difficult economic times, the crop that once sustained previous generations is once again proving its relevance — not merely as food on the table, but as a pathway to dignity, livelihood and economic resilience.