Who is not familiar with cassava or wood tubers? In Latin cassava is
called manihot esculenta. The average
cassava yield per-hectare per-year is approximately 30 tons. According to
Lampung government data, cassava land both managed by farmers and limited
liability companies (PT) is approximately 366.830 hectares, and half of them belong
to farmers. With a long planting period between 6-8 months to get the best
cassava, farmers have to work hard when their cassava has not been harvested.
The phenomenon of farmers who then work odd jobs and migrate to other areas to
earn for their lives, often occurs in rural areas in Lampung.
Cassava harvesting is a great hope for farmers, but not all farmers can enjoy their agricultural products completely, because in general farmers have spent out their money before harvest by making farming capital loans, as well as for daily needs. Sometimes cassava products are only enough to pay debts, if there is positive balance, it will be used as capital to plant cassava stems again. So, in fact, many cassava farmers are less successful if all processing requires funds or capital. It becomes worse because the price is very unstable when it is sold to cassava factory and middlemen.
Seeing this condition, the Stube HEMAT Multiplication Program in Lampung in collaboration with the GKSBS-Batanghari Women's Commission held agricultural product management activities to have better economic value, especially cassava agricultural products (27/08/2023). Accompanied by Utik Suarsih, S.PKP, from the East Lampung Regency Agriculture Office, and Astrid Sianipar S.P, agricultural extension worker of Sekampung district, East Lampung Regency, participants were given insight the potential of processing agricultural products to have higher economic value than untreated cassava. The resource person said the need for creativity so that the agricultural potency owned, has a better price. On this occasion, the two speakers, who often accompany farmers, provided education and training to process cassava into Mocaf (MOdified CAssava Flour). This flour is made from cassava and has advantages compared to other flours for example; the ingredients are easy to obtain, easy to process, and healthier because the sugar content is very little and it can even be said to be gluten free. Mocaf can be used as a processed ingredient for various pastries, cakes, and it can also be used as processed ingredients such as Tiwul rice and several other food creations.
Participants learned to make Mocaf by choosing the best type of cassava, then peeled cassava clean until the epidermis that coated it like mucus was removed, then sliced thinly, soaked in water for 12 hours, mixed with special ingredients to produce clean and white Mocaf. Furthermore, cassava is dried to dry with a moisture content approximately 0.3%, then ground to become flour. It is very simple to make and the participants can already enjoy Mocaf at home to make various processed foods.
At the stage of becoming Mocaf, has increased the price of approximately
Rp 20,000 per kg, so, if it’s processed food at a later stage, it must add
value or higher prices. The activity carried out by Multiplication Stube-HEMAT
and GKSBS Batanghari Church started from 12.00 to 17.00 Western Indonesian
time, providing provisions for the participants, especially church women in
utilizing the potential of agricultural products. Creativity adds value,
especially price. Have a nice creativity. ***
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