Cassava crops was the focus of last week's visit to Embrapa by a delegation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), composed by members of their government and their agribusiness, as well as a representative from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). On April 11 and 12, the group, which was formed by 15 people, including the provincial Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock, Rural Development, Environment and Nature Conservation of Congo, Denis Nsitu Mambuku, advisors, farmers, researchers, a congressman, a lawyer, a market specialist and a project coordinator, was welcomed at Embrapa Cassava and Fruits (Cruz das Almas, BA). They had already visited Embrapa Agroenergy (Brasilia, DF) on the 10th. Organized by the Unit's Institutional Relations (NRI) and Technology Transfer Management (STT) sectors, the visit in Cruz das Almas included a presentation by the Congolese and the Unit's technical team on Thursday (11). The researcher Alfredo Alves, manager of the International Relations team (NRI), showed the cassava research program and the different technical-scientific cooperation interactions established between the Unit and African countries. Later on, there were presentations on the versatility of uses for cassava, both in terms of diversification in the scope of technology transfer for family farmers (researcher Joselito Motta) and regarding processing technologies aimed at value aggregation (researcher Luciana Alves). Friday morning (12) was dedicated to technical field visits. The group saw the Cruz das Almas city market, especially the stand where cassava flour and by-products are sold. Accompanied by Alfredo and Joselito, they became acquainted with many of the products traded by family farmers in the market. “They learned about a flour that is typical of the region, the Copioba type of flour, as well as diverse byproducts that are made from cassava gum or starch, such as tapioca pancakes, colored bejus, and alternatives for table consumption, like making tapioca pancakes stuffed with the moist gum”, Joselito reported. After that, in the beju processing unit in Cadete, a rural region in the outskirts of Cruz das Almas, the goal was to show the evolution of smallholder José Carlos Mendonça, who artisanally produces nine types of bejus, with different fillings and flavors. “With the work results, he has already built a unit that will be inaugurated in a few days, which offers a production volume that is three times higher than the unit he uses at the moment”, Joselito pointed out. Alain Lungungo, coordinator of the Ministry of the Finances of the DRC and responsible for the project "Development of growth centers in the West sector", funded by the World Bank, informed that the first portion of the project is supported by three agricultural chains: rice, cassava and oil palm. “We came to Brazil so that we can become familiarized with Brazilian experiences, notably regarding cassava processing. Here we have been observing how cassava processing by family farmers takes place and aim to understand the link that connects family farming to the industry at large. The first impressions that we have had so far are that the Democratic Republic of Congo in the future can make very important exchanges with Brazil in this sense. Yesterday we could realize that DRC's research institutes can extract a very important experience from research on cassava processing in Brazil”, Lungungo asserted. He added that the visit to Embrapa Agroenergy was also very interesting. “We could see that, from cassava, it is also possible to develop energy. In the African countries, we have an important energy deficit, and the goal is to establish synergies so that we can benefit each other and also capitalize from our experience. Embrapa would have a very important role in this partnership.” UNIDO's representative, Philippe Francillon, stated that the organization is a technical advisor of the program. “We have organized a visit of the Congolese authorities and representatives of their administration and private sector to see how Brazil manages cassava production and processing. Embrapa is an essential place to visit in that regard, because it simultaneously works with research on varieties and studies the processing part. In Congo, the processing is very limited, that is, there is a fermented dough on one side and the flour on the other. Here you have much more perspective in terms of processing, and that is what they want to show the country”, Francillon assessed. Joselito said that, for the group, the visit was rather rich. “They saw that a lot of such knowledge can have immediate applications in their native country.” DRC's goal The government of the RDC has been focused in increasing productivity and employability in the value chains of given sectors in specific geographic regions. UNIDO, a specialized institution of the United Nations (UN) that focuses on reducing poverty through long-lasting industrial development, has provided assistance for the establishment of the process of implementing agribusiness platforms, which includes this study trip to Brazil. According to Eleonora Amaral, responsible for organizing the mission that also includes São Paulo, Brasília, Mato Grosso and Pará, the project aims to “help the training of the newly conflict-free rural population”. Translation: Mariana Medeiros