Commercial Tapioca (Cassava) Farming in India 2026
Grow industrial cassava for starch, sago and food processing with high yields.
Overview
Tapioca, also called cassava, is a major industrial tuber crop, supplying the starch and sago factories of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and increasingly the modified-starch and food-processing industries. The commercial angle is growing high-starch industrial varieties under assured market linkage with sago and starch units, rather than just food-grade tubers. Cassava is hardy, drought tolerant and gives heavy yields on marginal land, with starch content around 27 to 30 percent in good varieties. India has dozens of sago factories that need a steady supply, so contract or cluster cultivation near processing hubs offers reliable returns. This page focuses on the industrial and high-yield commercial angle, including variety choice and factory linkage, rather than basic cassava growing, so you can position it as a dependable cash crop.
Climate
Cassava is a tropical crop needing warm conditions of 25 to 35 degrees Celsius and 100 to 150 cm rainfall, though it is very drought tolerant once established. It cannot tolerate frost or waterlogging. It is grown mainly in the southern peninsular region of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which together account for the bulk of India's area and production.
Soil
Cassava grows on a wide range of soils but does best on well-drained, loose, light to medium loam with pH 5.5 to 7.0. It performs even on poor and marginal soils where other crops struggle, which is part of its value. Avoid heavy clay and waterlogged land, which cause root rot and poor starch. Loose soil allows large tuberous roots to form.
Planting & Spacing
Plant healthy stem cuttings of 15 to 20 cm with several nodes, taken from mature 8 to 10 month old stems, on ridges or mounds at about 90 by 90 cm spacing. Plant at the start of the rains, vertically or slanting. Use cuttings from disease-free, high-starch plants and avoid the soft tip and woody base for best sprouting.
Varieties
Sree Vijaya yields about 25 to 28 tonnes per hectare with 27 to 30 percent starch and good cooking quality, suiting both food and industry. Sree Jaya, Sree Visakham, H-165, H-226 and the industrial-focused Sree Sahya and Sree Padmanabha are popular. For starch and sago units choose high-starch industrial types; for table use choose low-cyanide cooking varieties.
Care & Management
Apply balanced NPK with extra potassium for starch, plus FYM at planting. Two or three weedings in the first three months are critical because cassava grows slowly early on. Earthing up supports the plant and covers roots. It needs little irrigation once established, but moisture during root bulking improves yield and starch content.
Pests & Diseases
Major problems are cassava mosaic disease spread by whitefly, spider mites in dry weather, and tuber rot in waterlogged soil. Use disease-free, certified cuttings, resistant varieties, and remove infected plants. Manage whitefly and mites with monitoring and need-based sprays. Good drainage prevents tuber rot that lowers starch recovery for factories.
Yield & Harvest
Industrial varieties are harvested at 8 to 11 months when starch peaks, while early food types finish around 6 to 7 months. Lift the whole plant carefully and detach tubers, which should reach the factory quickly because starch quality drops within a day or two of harvest. Time harvest with the factory schedule to get full starch value.
Cost & Profit
Cassava is a relatively low-cost, hardy crop. Yields commonly run 25 to 35 tonnes per hectare and can reach much higher under irrigation, with record district yields well above 40 tonnes. Returns depend heavily on the factory price for starch tubers, which varies with the sago and starch market. Treat yield and price figures as indicative ranges and secure a buyer or factory linkage before planting industrial varieties.
These are indicative ranges. Actual cost and income vary by region, market and management, so verify locally.
Market & Demand
The main buyers are sago and starch factories, modified starch and food-processing units, animal feed makers, and the table market for food-grade varieties. Growing near a processing cluster, or under contract with a factory, gives the most reliable price and saves on transport. Value addition into dried chips or flour can open further markets where factory demand is weak.
Subsidy & Support
Cassava is supported under MIDH as a tuber crop with assistance for planting material and area expansion, the Government of India funding 60 percent in most states and 90 percent in Northeast and Himalayan states. ICAR-CTCRI supplies improved varieties and technology, and state schemes and RKVY support tuber processing and value addition in producing states.
Where to grow it in India
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between food and industrial cassava?
Why must cassava reach the factory quickly?
Can cassava grow on poor soil?
How is cassava propagated?
Is contract farming good for cassava?
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