Financial and economic viability of cassava peeling technology and constraints to adoption in Ghana

Abstract

The manual peeling of cassava is laborious, prone to injuries, and limits processing speed, contributing to postharvest losses due to cassava’s highly perishable nature. To address this challenge, this study aims to evaluate the financial and economic viability of installing cassava peeling machines and the key constraints to their adoption among small-scale processors. Primary data were collected from a random sample of 300 cassava processors, and the analysis employed both discounted and undiscounted measures of project worth, the Garrett Ranking Technique, and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The results show that installation of the cassava peeling machine is financially viable, with a Net Present Value (NPV) of GH₵229,870.00, a Benefit–Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.61, an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 27%, and a payback period of 4.3 years. Similarly, economic viability was confirmed with an NPV of GH₵132,950.00, a BCR of 1.4, an IRR of 26%, and a payback period of 3.8 years. High initial investment cost emerged as the major constraint. Policy interventions should therefore prioritize reducing entry costs through public-private partnerships. This study contributes by bridging engineering innovation with economic adoption analysis, offering empirical evidence to guide technology diffusion in rural agro-processing.