The demand for cassava has increased significantly in the past 40 years. Area harvested has however declined, but yields have more than doubled in this time. This paper commences with a summary of cassava production in Indonesia since its introduction in the 18th century, the initial development of exports and development of cassava in dried forms as a means of addressing food scarcity. The paper spends a small amount of time considering the consequences of the development of the cassava starch industry, and significantly more time on hydrogen cyanide toxicity, where it gets quite scientific. The paper then moves into a discussion about agronomic aspects of cassava production and varieties, and the expansion of cassava growing in Indonesia. It touches on the management of waste and reduction of impact on the environment. A number of general conclusions are reached by the authors, but no recommendations for future research are made. A reasonable understanding of agronomics and chemical terminology would be recommended to fully appreciate the content of the paper.