Industrial processing of cassava into gari has been developed, but this is still in its infancy. At present large numbers of village women still spend precious time with old, tedious, and relatively inefficient processing methods. Plantains Plantains constitute an important food crop in West Africa. Post-harvest physiological activities in plantains consist of ripening changes upon exposure to high environmental temperatures. Metabolic activities result in the utilization of carbohydrate and the release of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
Ethylene also evolves in the ripening plantain.
As ripening proceeds, the plantain becomes more susceptible to mechanical damage under poor storage conditions. In most of West Africa bunches of plantains are piled into open trucks for transportation to the markets and many of the plantains are crushed by the weight upon them. Therefore it becomes urgent to transport plantains in the green, unripe state as quickly as possible. Fungal attack on damaged plantains results in further wastage of the ripe crop. The techniques used to package and store bananas for the markets in countries with temperate climate could be utilized to protect plantains form these losses.