Togo Plant Options for Cassava, Palm Oil, Soybean, Rice and Fruit

Togo is on the West African coast and is bordered by Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso. Rainfall follows two patterns, with two rainy seasons in the south and centre and a single rainy season in the north, so harvest timing and drying conditions differ along the country. Togo grows soybeans, pineapple, rice, cassava and palm oil among products with export potential, and roots and plantains are staple foods, so plants should be sized to what processors can realistically collect rather than to large export volumes.

Cassava can be grated, pressed and dried into flour, or processed for starch and gari, and cassava processing is targeted for investment in the Plateaux and Maritime regions. Oil palm fruit can be milled into crude oil that is refined for cooking and industrial uses, and soybean can be pressed for oil. Rice is sown in the northern rainfall area of Togo, and parboiling, the partial boiling of rice in the husk before milling, protects the grain from breaking.

Fruit can be pulped and pasteurised as juice, concentrated or dehydrated, which gives small processors a way to keep seasonal produce, and pineapple processing is a targeted value chain. The World Bank cites the Port of Lomé among Togo's strategic assets alongside regional corridors, which is relevant when planning inbound equipment deliveries. Possible users include cooperatives, small agro-processors and juice or flour producers.