MANUFACTURING concern CS Manufacturing opened South Africa’s first commercial cassava starch factory in the Northern Province on Friday. The investment in the factory is estimated at R28-million. CS Manufacturing MD Jim Casey said the new factory will produce 60 tons of starch a day, with 50% of the factory’s capacity to be sourced from surrounding farm land. Cassava is already being grown by large-scale commercial farmers, and CS Manufacturing plans to encourage small-scale black farmers to begin growing the root vegetable over the next few years, Casey said. South Africa uses about 90000 tons of starch every year, primarily in paper, corrugated cardboard and food products. The estimated value of the starch market is about R150-million a year.