Cassava Starch - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)

The cassava starch market was valued at USD 5.71 billion in 2025, is projected to reach USD 5.93 billion in 2026, and is forecast to grow to USD 8.06 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.33% during 2026-2031. This report is Segmented by Product Type (Native Starch and Modified Starch), Application (Food & Beverage, Animal Feed, Paper, Textile, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, and Others), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Global Cassava Starch Market Trends and Insights

Soaring Demand for Clean-Label Thickeners in Gluten-Free Foods

Food manufacturers are reshaping starch procurement by replacing modified corn and wheat starches with native and lightly modified cassava starches. These cassava starches boast non-GMO, gluten-free, and allergen-free claims. Waxy cassava starch, rich in amylopectin, offers enhanced freeze-thaw stability and expansion properties in gluten-free baking. This allows bakeries to achieve textures akin to wheat-based products, eliminating the need for hydrocolloid blends. In North America and Europe, ingredient transparency is a top priority for many shoppers. As a result, CPG brands are reformulating sauces, soups, and dairy alternatives with cassava-based thickeners. These thickeners can be simply labeled as "tapioca starch," avoiding the more complex modified starch E-numbers. The demand for cassava starch is especially pronounced in the gluten-free segment. Cassava starch's neutral flavor and smooth mouthfeel outshine those of pea and rice starches in high-moisture applications. Producers are using enzymatic and physical modification techniques, blending, heat-moisture treatment, and extrusion to boost viscosity and gel strength. These methods, free from chemical modification, uphold the clean-label status while ensuring functional performance for instant soups and ready-to-eat meals.

Expansion of Paper and Packaging Sector

Driven by circular-economy mandates and the EU and Asia-Pacific's push to phase out single-use plastics, the paper and packaging industry is rapidly adopting cassava starch. This starch is being utilized as a binder and coating agent in containerboard, corrugated packaging, and biodegradable films. In February 2025, Ingredion Incorporated made a strategic USD 50 million investment to boost specialty industrial starch capacity in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This move is aimed squarely at packaging and papermaking sectors, emphasizing the need for enhanced strength, biodegradability, and recyclability. This positions cassava starch as a natural polymer, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic adhesives. When blended with chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cassava starch films showcase tensile strength and flexibility on par with traditional plastics. Notably, these films can undergo industrial composting within 60 days, making them suitable for food-contact packaging and agricultural mulch films that are soil-friendly. In 2025, Thailand's paper industry ramped up its consumption of native cassava starch to an estimated 120,000 tonnes, marking a 15% year-on-year increase. This shift comes as mills pivot from imported corn starch, aiming to cut costs and shrink their carbon footprints. Furthermore, research from 2025 highlights the potential of cassava pomace, a by-product of processing. It can be transformed into paper-based packaging materials, presenting a closed-loop value proposition. This innovation not only curbs waste disposal costs but also opens new revenue avenues for starch processors.

Supply Chain Volatility from Cassava Mosaic and Brown Streak Viruses

Whiteflies transmit cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), and climate change exacerbates their impact. These diseases can slash yields by 50-100%, leading to significant disruptions for starch processors. Thailand, the globe's top cassava exporter, anticipates a CMD-infected expanse of 532,850 hectares by 2025. This could result in a staggering economic setback of USD 356 million, as farmers either abandon these plots or hastily harvest to salvage what they can, as reported by the Thai Tapioca Starch Association. Meanwhile, CBSD has made inroads in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, nations where cassava holds staple status. This has compelled processors to either pay a premium for roots from uninfected areas or settle for diseased tubers with diminished starch content, hampering extraction efficiency and inflating processing costs. The swift spread of these viruses is tied to the expansion of whitefly populations during warm, dry spells. Consequently, a single outbreak can ripple across multiple provinces in one growing season, leaving processors short on feedstock and unable to run at full capacity. While the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has rolled out CMD-resistant cassava varieties, fewer than 30% of smallholder farmers have adopted them. This hesitance stems from challenges in accessing disease-free planting materials and extension services. In response, processors are broadening their sourcing strategies across nations. Take Thai Wah, for example: their strategy encompasses Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Yet, this multi-origin approach brings added logistical challenges and exposes the company to currency fluctuations and regulatory hurdles in different jurisdictions.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

• Government Biofuel Blending Mandates in Emerging Markets
• Digitization of Root-to-Mill Traceability Boosting Industrial Procurement
• Weak Cold-Storage Infrastructure in Key African Producer Nations

For complete list of drivers and restraints, kindly check the Table Of Contents.

Segment Analysis

In 2025, native starch held 65.59% of market revenue, driven by its use in commodity applications like food thickening, paper sizing, and animal feed, where cost and availability outweigh functional performance. Modified cassava starch is growing at a 7.96% CAGR through 2031, fueled by demand in 3D food printing, biodegradable packaging, and pharmaceutical excipients, which require precise control over viscosity, gel strength, and thermal stability. Techniques like enzymatic modification, physical treatments (heat-moisture, extrusion), and chemical cross-linking allow processors to tailor starch properties for applications such as instant noodles that rehydrate in 90 seconds and tablet binders that disintegrate within 15 minutes in gastric fluid. Thai Wah Public Company reported high-value-added (HVA) products, mainly modified starches, accounted for 47% of starch revenue in 2025, up from 45% in 2024, with HVA volume growing 1.7% year-on-year and strong export growth to Japan and Australia. Ingredion’s July 2024 launch of a cassava-derived modified starch line for food-tech and non-food applications highlights supplier investment in this segment.

Native starch’s clean-label status and lower cost make it the preferred choice for manufacturers in emerging economies where price sensitivity is critical. In 2025, Brazil’s native cassava starch exports reached 40,600 tonnes, a 13.9% year-on-year increase, as domestic producers supplied regional food manufacturers and industrial users in Argentina and Chile, according to the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics. Modified starch, though priced 20-30% higher, offers functional benefits that justify the cost in applications like frozen foods (freeze-thaw stability), sauces (shear resistance), and confectionery (controlled sweetness release). The segment also benefits from the growth of cassava-based bioplastics, where modified starches blended with biodegradable polymers achieve the mechanical properties needed for injection-molded cutlery and blown-film packaging. Regulatory support, including the European Union’s single-use plastics directive and Asia-Pacific bans on polystyrene foam, is accelerating the adoption of cassava-based TPS resins like Thai Wah’s Roseco line, positioned as a closed-loop solution from cultivation to composting.

Complete Report Scope:

• Product Type
  • Native Starch
  • Modified Starch
• Application
  • Food and Beverages
  • Animal Feed
  • Paper
  • Textile
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Cosmetics
  • Others
• Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Rest of North America
  • Europe
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • France
    • Netherlands
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Rest of South America
  • Middle East and Africa
    • South Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Nigeria
    • Turkey
    • Rest of Middle East and Africa

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific, holding 35.40% of the global market in 2025, is projected to grow at a 7.92% CAGR through 2031, driven by Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam leveraging low production costs and strong export infrastructure. Thailand exported over 8 million tonnes of cassava products in 2025, valued at THB 95 billion (USD 2.7 billion), with native tapioca starch prices reaching USD 480-500 per tonne FOB Bangkok in early 2026. Thai Wah Public Company, controlling 17% of global cassava starch exports, is shifting focus to Japan's premium gluten-free and non-GMO markets to reduce reliance on China. Indonesia, with 125 cassava starch companies operating at 43% capacity, is prioritizing import substitution and export growth, with Lampung province contributing 70% of domestic tapioca production and exports reaching USD 18.7 million through November 2025. Vietnam, the third-largest cassava exporter, shipped over 3.9 million tonnes worth USD 1.26-1.27 billion in 2025, with Tây Ninh province accounting for 60-65% of output. However, Vietnam faces EUDR compliance challenges due to a lack of geo-tagged traceability data required by end-2026. China's cassava starch imports from Thailand and Vietnam fell 37.88% in Q1 2026, prompting exporters to diversify into ASEAN, the Middle East, and Europe.

South America, led by Brazil, is scaling modified starch production and targeting exports through the pending Mercosur-EU trade agreement. Brazil's cassava root production reached 20.8 million tonnes in 2025, up 9.4% from 2024, while starch production hit 689,000 tonnes in 2024. Modified starch exports surged 44% to 68,400 tonnes in 2025. Paraná accounted for 65.6% of production, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul at 21.3% and São Paulo at 9.7%, enabling economies of scale and investments in higher-margin products like modified starches. Argentina imports cassava starch from Brazil for food and industrial uses, while Latin America is expanding in animal feed and biodegradable packaging as governments phase out single-use plastics.

Europe and North America, as net importers, prioritize clean-label, non-GMO, and organic cassava starches for gluten-free foods, specialty bakery, and pharmaceutical applications. Rising anti-dumping duties and EUDR traceability requirements favor suppliers with digital supply-chain infrastructure. In the Middle East and Africa, Nigeria, producing over 60 million tonnes of cassava roots in 2023, is shifting from low-margin food applications to industrial-grade starch and biofuel feedstocks. Agbeyewa Industries' acquisition of Matna Foods in January 2026 integrates cultivation in Ekiti State with processing in Ondo State. South Africa and Saudi Arabia import cassava starch, while Turkey acts as a re-export hub. Sub-Saharan Africa, despite challenges like weak infrastructure and cassava diseases, holds potential with over 200 million tonnes of cassava roots produced annually, contingent on addressing these issues.

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

• Cargill Incorporated
• Archer Daniels Midland Company
• Ingredion Incorporated
• Tate & Lyle PLC
• Roquette Freres
• Thai Wah Public Company Limited
• SCG International Corporation
• SMS Corporation Co., Ltd.
• Vedan Enterprise Corporation
• Tapioca Starch Indonesia
• Agrideco Vietnam Co., Ltd.
• Nguyen Starch
• KIM YEN CO., LTD
• Podium Alimentos
• Amidos Mundo Novo
• Agrana Beteiligungs-AG
• SPAC Starch Products (India) Private Limited
• Pilao Amidos Ltda.
• Chemigate Oy
• Meelunie B.V.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support