Recommended sites and products In Uyo senatorial zone, Ikot Udo Abia has an advantage over Ikot Akpa Ese (Efa) and Ikot Eyo on the COSt of fresh roms. Fresh cassava rootS arc cheapest in lkor UJo Abia. It has a better road than Ikot Eyo and Ikot Akpa Ese (Efa). Large contiguous land is near their home and market. The cost of roOtS in Ikot Eye is highes t amongst .he three commu nities concerned; though it has a large organized cassava farm. T he cost of fresh roOIS in 1ko[ Akpa Ese (Efa) is high and it has no organized cassaYa farm. They were willing to engage in the cassava processing project JUSt li ke [he other rwo communities. In Ikat Uda Abia. the products available are gari, Juju, tapioca, and wrapped /ufi' and they seleered garl for SME. In Ikot Akpa Ese (Efa) products include gari, Jufi" starch, an d porridge; and starch was selected for SM E. At Iko t Eyo, the prod ucts availablo were gari,fi,ji" tapioca, porridge, and chips. They chose chips for SME. In Ikot Ekpene, Itu Mbonuso is on the rarmac road . The community/market are near each other. T herefore, transportation of products to the market will 110( be a serious problem . h is located berween Asanrin Utitikpe and Nkari commun ities , and it was easy for the other twO commun iti es to supply fresh cassava at IN Mbonuso . Cassava crops here were of improved varieties and healthy. Though Asanril) Uritikpe proinised (Q consistently supply fresh cassava, there was serious cassava disease infection. which must be settled first , including low adoption ofimpruved . disease-resistant varieties. Nkari ~ lkot Offong engages in rice/cocoa production in add itio n to cassava; the processing of the lasr two crops comes up almost at the same time. Asamin Utitikpe has gari. Jufo. tapio ca. w rapp ed fiifu, and porridge. They selected g,,,i for SME. Itu Mbonuso produces gari,fi'fil, tap ioca, wrapped jiifi" starch, and akara balls. T hey selected gari fo r SME. Nkari-Ikot Offo ng has gari,fiifi" tapioca. and wrapped juju. Gari was their choice for SME. In Eket senatorial zone, Odobo is on a tarmac road and centrally placed between the other two communities. The community and market 3re quite close and this makes transporration eas~路. Again a plot of land was cheapest in Odobo when compared with the other two communities. Fresh cassava roots were cheapest (here because a standard basin measure of25 kg was sold for N500-N800 in N ung Ubna, N500-N900 in Ekpeneukim Eta Okopedi, and N 700 at Odobo . H oweve r, ,he cost of a plot ofland was cheaper in Nung Ukana than Ekpe neukim Eta Okopedi . Nung Ubna produces gftri,jiifU, starch, tapioca, Aour, and akara balls. They selected Aour for SME. Ekpeneukim Eta Okopedi produce garl, juJu, tapioca, starch, and wtapped juJu. They selected starch for SME. Odobo has gari,JuJu, tapio ca, starch, porridge, and wrapped Juju. They chose gari for SME.
Observations In all the communitiessurveyed,gari was first, foll owed by juJu and tapioca both in volume of production and imporrance. Six communities chose gari for SME. The communities have the expertise and the lea) to produce gari. The clients for gari were from within and outside [he state, so {here was a ready marker fo r the product. The problem here was how to meet up with customer demand. Two communities chose Bour for SME. For the mean time. [he product has no clien ts or experdse for its production . They memioned it for 38