How to start cassava chips production Business and grow it big
| Cassava business
| Cassava business
Cassava is one of the most cultivated commercial crop in the world and
this is due to its enormous and incredible benefits in many areas of
life.
There are many products gotten from cassava and one of them is CASSAVA CHIPS.
Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with a yield
of about 55 million tones of cassava as at 2012.
Cassava (Botanical name: Manihot spp) is a tropical perennial crop
grown every year and everywhere due to the fact that it can survive
and even do well in an adverse soil and climatic environment. It is
cultivated mainly for its edible root, it is a stable carbohydrate
food consumed worldwide and provides much economic benefits to the
cassava farmers.
Cassava can be processed into different variety to arrive at various
processed products and food, these varies from Garri, fufu, lafun,
starch, cassava chips and pellets. The brown back when cut is feed to
livestock’s as feeds and the leaf Is also a quality folder crop for
animals, it is also used in the pharmaceutical fields for various
health benefits.
Cassava chips are unfermented white dried products of cassava with an
average diameter that ranges from 3mm to 5mm often used as a source of
carbohydrate food for man and feed for animals in various parts of the
world especially in Europe, or milled into flour for other purposes
such as production of ethanol, cakes, dough nut, biscuits, bread and
other confectionaries.
The demand for Cassava chips as an industrial product is high, it
cuts across many industries such as distilleries, pharmaceuticals,
food and most importantly animal feed industries. The estimated
demand for Cassava Chips in Nigeria(largest producer of cassava in the
world) was found to be in excess of 1,500,000T/Annum.
There is a high export demand in China especially for the production
of vital product gotten from cassava (Ethanol). In fact, Nigeria is
planning to export chips to china to the tune of 1,100,000T this year.
This is a clear indication that Cassava is a viable business and
cassava chips has a high market value.
MUST READ: HOW TO START AND GROW CASSAVA | CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS
Currently the international price of cassava chip is around $1,200 to
$1,300 per metric tone. Locally, it is sold at N120,000 per tone.
Currently the international price of cassava chip is around $1,200 to
$1,300 per metric tone. Locally, it is sold at N120,000 per tone.
The
above facts make the project to be socially desirable and economically
viable. It is also technically feasible and highly profitable. With a
good management and marketing approach, a minimum profit margin of N20,
000 is obtainable from producing a tone of good quality Cassava chips.
The project researched on targets a minimum processing capacity of
102tones per day, which implies an average production output of 25tones
per day. This gives a minimum profit margin of N500, 000 which
translates to N14, 000, 000 monthly.
However, the processing and production capacity of the plant can be doubled if the factory operates a two shift program. This by extension doubles the profitability of the venture.
However, the processing and production capacity of the plant can be doubled if the factory operates a two shift program. This by extension doubles the profitability of the venture.
Production Process
(a) Peeling: Production of Cassava chips starts with the peeling of the cassava. Peeling can be done mechanically or manually. Mechanical peelers peel as much as 2,400 – 2,500Kg per hour with a wastage rate of 30-40% while manual peeling does 22Kg per man hour and wastage of 20-25%.
Mechanical peelers are problematic because of the non-uniform nature of the cassava roots and the irregularity in size which make smooth peeling difficult. Also, the thickness of the skin, the texture and the strength of adhesion to the flesh of the tuber differ from specie to specie thereby making over-peeling and under-peeling possible. As a result of these problems, processors prefer manual peeling for now till the mechanical is perfected.
(b) Washing: The peeled tubers are thoroughly washed to remove all dirt and sand that may adhere to them. Export requirements insist that sand content should not be more than 2%.
(c) Chipping: The washed tubers are carted to the chipping machines where they are chipped into small chips of about 1-2 centimetre thickness and 6-7 cm long. The sizes at times depend on the prescription of the order.
(d) Drying: The wet chips are taken to the Rotary Dryer where they are dried to 12-14% moisture content.
(e) Bagging: they are then weighed and bagged in 50kg polypropylene bags and stored.
Raw Material Requirements
The major raw material is cassava tubers.
The average daily output capacity of the Plant is 25Mt. The daily raw material requirement is therefore 100-105Mt of cassava tubers and the monthly requirement is about 2,652Mt.
It should be noted that four metric tons of wet chips will produce one MT of dried chips.
Cost Implication
The cost of procurement and installation of machinery is about eight million five hundred and fifty thousand naira (N8, 550, 000). Other facilities that will be needed at the plant are; Generator, Stitching Machine, Industrial Scale, Pickup Van, Borehole or other sources of water, Trolleys etc.
This implies that about fifteen million naira will be required to conveniently kick-start the project.
