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Root & tuber

Sweet potato: what can it become?

Sweet potato roots can be dried into flour and chips, turned into puree for bakeries, and the vines used as livestock feed.

  1. Raw sweet potato
  2. Processing
  3. Value-added products
  4. Packaging
  5. Markets
  6. Customers

Fresh sweet potato roots are perishable and are easily damaged, and the sweet potato weevil makes long storage difficult. Drying into chips and flour, or cooking and packing into puree, gives a more stable product. Orange-fleshed puree can replace part of the wheat flour in bakery goods, and leftover vines can become feed.

What can sweet potato become?

Sweet potato flour

Flour made from dried sweet potato chips, used in porridge, baking and blended foods.

Processing
Washing and brushing the roots, slicing (peeling is not always needed), drying the slices, then milling, and sieving if a finer flour is wanted. Avoid grating, which promotes browning and spontaneous fermentation.
Equipment
  • Washing tubs and brushes
  • Mechanical slicer
  • Solar or mechanical dryer
  • Hammer mill
  • Sieve (optional)
Packaging
Low-permeability bags such as polyethylene or polypropylene, sealed quickly to keep out moisture and insects.
Storage
Cool, dry and preferably dark storage.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Bakers and small food makers
  • Porridge and infant-food producers
  • Open-market traders
Distribution
Through local shops and market traders, or in bulk to bakers and food makers.
Possible business models
  • Own small processing unit
  • Women's or farmer group processing
  • Buy-process-resell

Dried sweet potato chips

Dried slices that keep for a long time and can be cooked or milled later.

Processing
Washing and brushing, mechanical or careful hand slicing, then drying until fully dry. Thicker slices keep more colour and nutrients, but thinner slices dry faster.
Equipment
  • Washing tubs and brushes
  • Slicer
  • Solar drying racks or dryer
  • Clean trays or drying mats
Packaging
Dry, clean bags, sealed with little air; protect from damp.
Storage
Cool, dry store away from pests; dried chips keep longer than fresh roots.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Small millers
  • Open-market traders
Distribution
Sold locally, or supplied to millers who make flour.
Possible business models
  • Farmer group processing
  • Buy-dry-resell
  • Supply chips to millers

Orange-fleshed sweet potato puree

Cooked, mashed orange-fleshed roots used as an ingredient in bakery and fried foods.

Processing
Buying roots from local farmers, cleaning, steaming and pureeing with standard small-industrial equipment, then packing so the puree keeps without refrigeration.
Equipment
  • Washing and sorting area
  • Steamer or cooker
  • Pulper or puree mill
  • Vacuum or aseptic packing equipment
Packaging
Vacuum-packed or aseptically packed puree that can be stored without refrigeration for long periods.
Storage
Keep sealed packs intact and store as the packaging method requires; fresh roots should be handled gently before processing.
Customer types
  • Bakeries
  • Food vendors
  • Supermarket food makers
  • Infant food and porridge makers
Distribution
Direct to bakeries and food vendors, or through a processor that contracts farmers for steady root supply.
Possible business models
  • Processor with out-grower contracts
  • Contract processing
  • Supply to bakeries

Bakery and fried foods with puree

Bread, buns, doughnuts and similar foods made partly with orange-fleshed puree.

Processing
Puree replaces part of the wheat flour in the recipe, which is then baked or fried as usual. Bakers need training and a steady puree supply.
Equipment
  • Mixer
  • Oven or fryer
  • Moulds and trays
  • Packaging and labelling station
Packaging
Food-safe wrapping or bags that protect freshness, with clear labelling.
Storage
Fresh baked goods are perishable; sell quickly and store as for ordinary bread.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Schools and canteens
  • Street vendors
  • Shops and supermarkets
Distribution
From the bakery to shops, canteens and street sellers, or direct to households.
Possible business models
  • Own bakery
  • Supply to bakers
  • Partnership between bakers and puree makers

Sweet potato vines for livestock feed

Vines left after harvest, fed fresh or preserved as silage for pigs and other animals.

Processing
Harvesting vines, wilting briefly, chopping, mixing with maize bran, packing tightly into sealed polythene tubes and leaving to ferment before feeding.
Equipment
  • Machete or forage chopper
  • Black polythene tubes
  • Maize bran
  • Tarps, twine and weights
Packaging
Airtight, sealed polythene tubes to exclude air.
Storage
Keep sealed until needed; silage should smell sweet. Once opened, it spoils quickly, so do not leave it in troughs.
Customer types
  • Pig farmers
  • Other smallholder livestock keepers
  • Farmer groups
Distribution
Used on the farm, or sold locally to nearby livestock keepers.
Possible business models
  • On-farm use
  • Local silage making for sale

The customers, routes to market, business models and many practical tips on this page are suggestions, not findings. Know something better? Suggest an improvement →

Business opportunities around sweet potato

Sources and further reading

The handling, processing and storage information on this page draws on the sources below. The lists of customers, distribution routes and business models are practical suggestions, not findings from these sources. Links open in a new tab.

Examples describe possibilities, not guaranteed results. Prices, demand and rules vary by country and season — verify locally.