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GROWTH RATE BELOW 10% IS NOT ENOUGH

Previous delivery shows that for forty-five years, since the 1960's, economic development schemes performed in SSA countries - with or without Structural Adjustment Programs - failed to create jobs to cope with the annual increase of the populations. They also failed to build up wealth for all. Forty-five years of persistent "failure" allows one to draw the conclusion that 1% to 10% annual economic growth rate - achieved by SSA countries - is not enough for the take off.

To turn around the economy, SSA countries' policy-makers have no choice but to undertake collective brainstorming and take necessary steps to breaking up the barrier of 10% annual economic growth-rate. That is the threshold for the takeoff; The only way to boost up the economy and steadily increase the purchasing power of the population.

WHICH DEVELOPING SCHEME?

To implement what has been above outlined, SSA countries need to carry out suitable economic development schemes in line with the sociological composition of the population. That has not been the case. For 45 years, developing scheme carried out in SSA countries yield not efficient result. No sufficient jobs' creation; not enough riches' building to increase the purchasing power of the populations. See previous delivery for more

60% to 80 % of SSA countries' populations live in rural areas. Therefore, developing schemes would be efficient only if they focus on diversifying the economy in rural areas to helping rural folks earn descent and regular salaries and wages.

A scheme diversifying economic activities in rural areas is exposed here. It integrates in fusion agriculture, industries and services.

Carrying out said strategic scheme, would help providing cash regularly to farmers. Thus, larger consumers' market would emerge in each SSA country. With the influx of money into rural areas, farmers - who represent 60% to 80% of the populations - would start buying fertilizers and equipment of all kinds. They would build better houses and dress better; indulge in trips and leisure. The other category of consumers - from the secondary (industries) and tertiary (services) sectors - would do the same. The problem of the lack of purchasing power will not exist anymore.

Otherwise, all their efforts will end without any noticeable as experienced by SSA over the past 45 years. That is no steady jobs' creation and no wealth building to uproot poverty. Click here for "Double-digit growth rate is not utopia."

HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS YEAR 2004

AFRICABIZ team wishes you all and your loved ones a very festive Xmas 2003 and a successful business year for 2004.

"CONTRIBUTOR'S GUIDELINES" are available here. We invite you to contribute to AFRICABIZ ONLINE MONTHLY ISSUE - with articles related to "How Africa Could Bridge The Developing Gap".

Many thanks for subscribing to Africabiz. See you on January 15, 2004.

Dr. B.M. Quenum
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Business Opportunities

TROPICAL ROOTS AND TUBERS PART III: PREPARATION OF ROOTS TO PRODUCING VALUED ADDED PRODUCTS - A- CHIPS AND PELLETS

Rare are industrial concerns established in SSA countries that transform Cassava into value added products - as reported in the diagram available here.

On the online monthly page of AFRICABIZ are listed four processed cassava's products, which highlight the fact that cassava could be an important components - an Economic Catalyst - to the Integrated Economic Development Scheme

The root of cassava and the leaves contain cyanogenic glucocides that are dangerous for human or animal consumption. These cyanide components have to be removed before the root and the leaves can be consumed. The toxic cyanide component are concentrated into the peel of cassava root. The ratio of glucocides compared to the starchy flesh varying between 5-10 : 1. Hence, for a root composed of 15% peel with a total cyanide content of 950 mg/kg (fresh weight basis) and 35 mg/kg in the flesh, 83% of the total cyanide is removed by peeling (Source)

The traditional processing techniques of chips are laborious. In villages women wash, peel and cut the root to pieces that are dried by sunshine on flat surface; on roofs, concrete surfaces, mats or along roadsides. One person can handle 25 kg of roots per hour and the loss of weight could reach 25-30 % of the initial weight of the fresh root. Mechanical peeling had been developed in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia that reduce the loss of weight to 10-15%.

Wind is a fundamental factor during the drying process, which comprises two phases.

- First phase: the chips lose moisture very quickly down to about 20% of moisture content (mc), wind speed passing over the chips is more important than air temperature and relative humidity. Under cloudy weather or even at night, the first drying phase can be completed so long as there is sufficient air movement through the chips. - Second phase: drying is much slower and needs a relative humidity of not higher than 65% to dry the chips to a moisture content of 13% that is considered safe for long term storage. Except during periods of actual rain, in most places the temperature will increase sufficiently during the day to reduce ambient humidity to the required level to complete this second stage of drying. [For more click here]

The use of solar dryers helps obtaining homogenous dried cassava chips. Solar dryers drawing exist on the Internet that could be locally produced. There are commercial sun dryers manufactured and sold in France, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Small-scale drying technologies are available here in ADOBE PDF. Solar dryers of the cabinet type are referred to as Brace dryer. It is a wooden structure covered with plastic sheets that form the solar collector. On days with adequate sunshine, average temperatures are of the order of 65° to 75°C, which is suitable for a variety of products, such as vegetables, grain, meat as well as cassava chips. For an extensive description of improved solar dryers of Brace type click here and here for an excellent books' review or crops drying

Producing pellets and chips on large-scale are opportunities not to be missed by African countries. Cassava pellets will help not only developing livestock's production, but can be used to produce glues and alcohol that are currently imported from abroad in most African countries.

MORE ON ROOTS AND TUBERS
1- Roots & Tubers Market in Qatar 2- Roots & Tubers Market in Europe 3- Food Security: In Sub-Saharan Africa In Latin America and the Caribbean 4- Roots and Tubers: A Vegetable Cookbook by Kyle D. Fulwiler 5- Tuber Crops by N. M. Nayar	6- Roots, Tubers, Plantains and Bananas in Animal Feeding Proceedings of the Fao Expert Consultation Held in Ciat, Cali, Colombia 21-25 January 1991 7- Pest Management for Tropical Roots & Tubers Workshop on the Global Status of and Prospects 8- The Tropical Tuber Crops Yam, Cassava, Sweet Potato, and Cocoyams by I. Chukuma Onwueme

Control Your Desktop

MANUAL OR AUTOMATIC DEFRAG

Windows operating systems featured Defragmentation utility tool available through the following sequence: 1- Start; 2- Accessories; 3- System Tools and 4- Defragmentation or Disk Defragmenter (XP.

You may perform the defragmentation process either manually through the sequence above outlined or automate it using:

1- Windows Task Scheduler: a) Start; b) Accessories; c) System Tools and d) Scheduled Task. 2- Or use a third party utility, that does the job smoothly in the background when your system is idle.

The automatic background defragmentation had the advantage of keeping your programs and utilities always tight together. There are many of such utilities. One of them is PCBooster from Inkline Global. Not only does it perform the degragmentation but optimize your system for better connectivity and loading of programs, it also cleans it up and stabilizes the whole thing by stooping or minimizing crashes.

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