ABSTRACT. South America is responsible for about half of the cassava world production. In the 1970’s productivity of the crop on the continent was about 15 ton/ha, and dropped continuously until reaching 12 ton/ha in 2004. India’s productivity of cassava increased from 10 ton/ha in the 1970’s to 28 ton/ha in 2004. Brazil contributed significantly to improving cassava crops through the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Universidade de Brasília released high-protein content hybrids, apomictic clones and explored the potential of indigenous landraces.

Key words: Cassava, India, Plant breeding, Productivity