1.

INTRODUCTION A critical analysis of the present economic situation in Nigeria will reveal a myriad of problems ranging from unemployment, hunger, mass poverty, rural degeneration, urban explosion, increased social vices, gradual extinction of the productive capability and a host of others. The major cause of this problem is the total abandonment of the productive sector. It has been said that Nigeria is suffering from resource curse. One of the solutions to the above listed problems is the encouragement of investment in the productive sector. Nigeria is about the largest producer of cassava in the world with annual production of over 34 million metric tons. Establishment of multipurpose cassava processing centers will no doubt enjoy good supply raw materials. Currently, there is a glut in cassava production in Nigeria simply because of absence of adequate processing of the crop into many products. The establishment of this processing capability will definitely solve this problem of glut. It will at the end of the day encourage farmers to cultivate more since they now have readymade market for their crops. The implication of this is that there will be increased farm activities. Very recently, the Federal Government passed into Law that 10 percent of composite flour used by bakeries should be made of cassava. By this, the implication is that the demand for cassava flour in Nigeria is now in thousands of tons yearly. This is to say in essence that the proposed project is bound to enjoy tremendous patronage. There is bound to be constant demand for the products of this factory as is it is multifarious in nature. Since there would be more than three products from a factory, we are sure of getting regular demand for any of these products daily. Social and economic benefits derivable from the projects among others are employment generation, poverty alleviation, improved rural income, diversification of the economic base and optimal utilization of resources.

2. TECHNICAL ANALYSIS The Federal Government of Nigeria has in recent times taken a number of bold steps to encourage the exportation of Nigerian products in order to enhance the nations foreign exchange revenue and discourage over reliance on petroleum product export as the main source of earning foreign exchange. However, the basic forms in which cassava can be exported outside Nigeria are cassava chips and pellets. These are used to produce other forms of cassava such as ethanol, glucose, flour, livestock feed, starch etc. The demand for these processed products exists locally in the country (but basically for food-based products) and is quite large worldwide. Cassava Varieties and Industrial Processing Types of Cassava for Processing When considering which cassava variety to plant in order to achieve the right content value and attributes of the cassava roots for processing, the following varieties of cassava will be considered. Cassava as a plant is divided into two broad groups being Bitter and Sweet cassava. However, during the research on for this project, 62 varieties of cassava have been encountered, most being clones form IITA and one from NCRI (National Root Crop Research Institute). Types of Processed Cassava Products and Methods of Processing Different cassava products and their method of processing are discussed below starting with the food-based products, and then on to the industrial products. 1. Garri: Garri is a creamy-white, granular flour with a slightly fermented flavor and a slightly sour taste made from fermented, gelatinized fresh cassava tubers. Garri is widely known in Nigeria and other West African countries. It is commonly consumed either by being soaked in cold water with sugar, coconut, roasted groundnuts, dry fish, or boiled cowpea as complements or as a paste made with hot water and eaten with vegetable sauce. When properly stored, it has a shelf-life of six months or more. Principle of Preservation and Processing of Cassava Cassava is fermented to remove cyanide and produce the desirable flavors. It is then roasted to destroy enzymes and microorganisms, to drive off cyanide gas, and to dry the product. Preservation is achieved by heating during roasting. Low moisture content inhibits recontamination by bacteria. Packaging is needed, especially in areas of high humidity, to retain the low moisture content. 2

Raw Materials Fresh cassava should be free from microbial or insect damage and without serious bruising or cuts. It should be processed within two days of harvest to prevent deterioration and loss of quality in garri. Hygiene Fresh cassava is a moist, low-acid food that is susceptible to bacterial and fungal growth. Hygienic practices, especially in the early stages of processing, should therefore ensure minimal contamination. All waste materials from the process should be removed from the site as they are produced to avoid the risk of cross-contamination. Process control Washing should be carried out thoroughly to avoid contamination of the final product with peel, sand, and so on. Fermentation must be properly controlled, as too short a period will result in incomplete detoxification and a bland product. Too long a period will give the product a strong sour taste. Both over- and under-fermentation also badly affect the texture of the final garri. If too much liquid is pressed from the grated cassava, the gelatinization of starch during subsequent roasting is affected and the product is whiter. If sufficient liquid is not removed, however, the formation of granules during roasting is affected and the dough is more likely to form into lumps. The ideal moisture content is 47-50 %, and this is assessed visually by experienced garri producers. Sieving is important to obtain a high-quality product, free of fibrous contaminants and with similar-sized granules. The granules must be roasted to about 80 C/175 F to achieve partial gelatinization of the starch. If lower temperatures are used, the product simply dries and produces a dry white powder. Too high a temperature will cause charring of the product and make it stick to the roasting pan. Packaging and Storage The product is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture from the air) and should be packed in airtight and moisture-proof bags, especially in areas of high humidity, to prevent mold growth. Processing Equipments 1. Weighing Balance 2. Washing Machine 3. Presser 4. Grater 5. Granulator 6. Sieves 3

7. Fryers/Rotary Dryers 8. Hammer Milling Machine 9. Sealer 2. Fufu: Fufu is a fermented wet-paste made from cassava. It is ranked next to garri as an indigenous food for most Nigerians in the south. Fufu is made by steeping whole or cut peeled cassava roots in water to ferment for a maximum of three days, depending on ambient temperature. During steeping, fermentation decreases the pH, softens the roots, and helps to reduce potentially toxic cyanogenic compounds. When sufficiently soft, the roots are taken out, broken by hand, and sieved to remove the fibers. At present, processors sieve manually by adding water to the retted mass on nylon or cloth screens. The fiber produced as a by-product is sold for animal feed, either in its wet form or after sun-drying. The sieved mass is allowed to sediment in a large container for about 24 hours. After sedimentation, the water is poured off while the fine, clean sediment (mainly starch) is dewatered using a high powered Press. The cake is then sifted before drying. Apart from being easy to prepare the consumable form, dried fufu has the advantages of having a longer shelf life, being more convenient to store, and less bulky. When cooked, fufu is a creamy/white smooth textured product. When properly packaged and stored, dried fufu flour has a shelf-life of six months or more. Processing Equipments 1. Weighing Balance 2. Washing Machine 3. Presser 4. Grater 5. Rotary Dryer 6. Disc or Pin Milling Machine 7. Sealer The design should ensure that all parts of the equipment are accessible for efficient cleaning. Materials used to fabricate equipment should maintain a surface that is easily cleaned. The equipment should be located to allow adequate maintenance and cleaning and should provide easy and convenient handling of raw material and products. Operators must consider the occupational safety of processing staff and prevent chemical, physical, and microbiological contamination of cassava and its products. The equipment should function according to intended use. 4

3. Lafun: Lafun is a fibrous powdery form of cassava similar to fufu in Nigeria. The method of production of lafun is different from that of fufu. In the traditional preparation, fresh cassava roots are cut into chunks and steeped for 3-4 days or until the roots become soft. The fermented roots are peeled, broken up into small pieces, and sun dried on mats, flat rocks, cement floors, or the roofs of houses. The dried pieces are milled into flour. Alternatively, chips are made directly from fresh roots, cut into chunks, and sun dried. Drying takes 2-4 days, depending on the weather. Unlike fufu, the fibers in the retted root for lafun are dried along with the mash and later sieved out. Thus, lafun is coarser than fufu in texture. The flour is made into dough with boiling water before consumption. When properly stored, it has a shelf-life of six months or more. 4. Tapioca: Tapioca meal is made from partly gelatinized cassava starch through the application of heat treatment to moist mash in shallow pans. When heated, the wet granules gelatinize, burst, and stick together. The mass is stirred to prevent scorching. It is manufactured in the form of irregular lumps called grits or in perfectly round beads. The grits are made into a grained product by milling gelatinized lumps and sifting. Tapioca is consumed in many parts of West Africa. It is usually soaked or cooked in water; sugar and or milk are added. Processing Equipments 1.Weighing-Balance 2.Washing-Machines 3.Pressers 4.Graters 5.Extractor 6.Sieves 7.Fryers/Rotary-Dryer 8.HammerMill 9. Sealer

5. Kpokpogari: This product is also food-based but is predominantly prepared and eaten in the South South states, especially Delta state. However, no information is available about its processing method as at this time during this research work. 6. Cassava Flour: High quality cassava flour is simple unfermented cassava flour. The IITA production process minimizes the capital investment requirements for flour production by making use of simple equipment already used for garri processing. This technique is suitable for preparing cassava flour from both sweet and bitter varieties. 5

Mini-chippers were also tried in place of the mechanical grater but were found to be unsuitable for bitter varieties because the concentration of cyanogenic glucosides was not reduced sufficiently during processing. Equipments Required 1. Grater 2. Press 3. Dryer 4. Pin Mill 5. Stitching Machine Under optimal conditions (dry sunny weather for sun drying), the IITA technique enables smallscale primary processors to produce high quality unfermented cassava flour that meets the specifications of industrial users within one day. Drying has been identified as the major tool for expanding processing of cassava into high quality cassava flour. Various options have been considered so far in the cassava project at IITA. Natural Drying Local processors expose cassava mash on a polythene sheet directly to the sun. This is referred to as sun drying. The project observed that drying at rural or domestic levels cannot be done artificially because of the high capital investment in equipment and energy required and hence, natural sun drying is done. Sun drying is beset by several inherent drawbacks, such as susceptibility to damage due to inclement weather, slow drying rates, and contamination. Because of these limitations and the high cost and low utilization of more efficient traditional dryers, the adoption of a modified sun drying process, solar drying, has been considered for drying HQCF in rural areas. Artificial Drying If a controllable source of energy is used for drying operations, the process is referred to as artificial or mechanical drying. There is a further classification in which the air used for drying is heated, either by solar means or controlled means such as electricity, renewable fuels, or fossil fuels. These methods are referred to as hybrid drying.

Rotary Dryer IITA is building up a coalition of local fabricators to mass produce an already tested locally fabricated rotary dryer for use by the rural processors of high quality cassava flour. The dryer could be fired by charcoal or gas and rotated by a diesel engine. The dryer consists of an insulated drying chamber (drum-like). The dryer is cost effective and user friendly. 6

Flash Dryer IITA modified the design and fabrication of a locally fabricated flash dryer with Peak Products, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The flash dryer (3t/day capacity) is well insulated with the product contact surface made of stainless steel and a semi-automated feeder. It could be operated with combined kerosene/spent oil. The dryer is user friendly and will encourage greater cassava flour production. 7. Glucose Syrup: Glucose syrup is a concentrated aqueous solution of glucose maltose and other nutritive saccharides from edible starch. Glucose or dextrose sugar is found in nature in sweet fruits such as grapes or honey. It is less sweet than sucrose (cane sugar). Glucose syrup is used in large quantities in fruits, liquors, crystallized fruits, bakery products, pharmaceuticals, and brewery products. Production of Glucose Syrup Glucose syrup production from cassava can be subdivided into the following process areas of liquefaction, saccharification, and purification. Native starch consists of microscopic granules having a complex internal structure. At room temperature, these granules are insoluble in water. However, if starch slurry is heated above 60oC, the granules will swell and eventually rupture. This results in a dramatic increase in viscosity. At this point, the starch has been gelatinized. The gelatinized starch is now susceptible to attack by amylase enzymes. In practice, cassava starch in gelatinized and partially hydrolyzed very rapidly in one step (see flow chart) by heat-stable amylase. This step is called liquefaction. The partially degraded starch chains called dextrins are suitable starting materials for the later steps in syrup production. Liquefaction Starch slurry is made with 30-35% dry solids and its pH is adjusted to 6.0-6.4. Calcium is added using calcium hydroxide or calcium chloride. Calcium ions stabilize the enzyme. A heat-stable aamylase (Novos Term amyl 120L) is mixed into the slurry, then the slurry is instantaneously heated to 100 oC and held at this temperature for 10 min before it is cooled to 90 oC. This temperature is maintained for 1-3 h to further hydrolyze the starch. At the end of this step, the starch has been converted to dextrins with a dextrose equivalent (DE) between 8 and 15. (The physical properties of the syrup vary with the DE and the method of manufacture.) DE is the total reducing sugar in the syrup expressed as dextrose on a dry weight basis.

8. Ethanol: Ethanol is generally produced by the fermentation of sugar, cellulose, or converted starch and has a long history. In Nigeria, local production of ethanol from maize, guinea corn, millet, other starchy substrates, and cellulose is as old as the country itself. Apart from food and pharmaceutical uses, ethanol is finding itself an alternative use for biofuel in most of the developed world. Equipments Required 1. Peeler 2. Grater 3. Jet Cooker 4. Fermentor 5. Distiller 6. Steam Boiler 7. Generator 8. Efficient Treatment Plant 9. Starch: Starch is one of the most abundant substances in nature, a renewable and almost unlimited resource. Starch is produced from grain or root crops. It is mainly used as food, but is also readily converted chemically, physically, and biologically into many useful products to date, starch is used to produce such diverse products as food, paper, textiles, adhesives, beverages, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and building materials. Cassava starch has many remarkable characteristics, including high paste viscosity, high paste clarity, and high freeze-thaw stability, which are advantageous to many industries. Cassava starch is produced primarily by the wet milling of fresh cassava roots but in some countries such as Thailand it is produced from dry cassava chips. Starch is the main constituent of cassava. About 25% starch may be obtained from mature, good quality tubers. About 60 % starch may be obtained from dry cassava chips and about 10 % dry pulp may be obtained per 100 kg of cassava roots. Fresh tubers are processed during season and dry chips during the off-season in some countries. Extraction of starch from fresh cassava roots (Fig. 1) can be divided into five main stages: preparation (peeling and washing), rasping/pulping/grating, purification (starch washing), dewatering and drying, and finishing (milling and packaging). For cassava, the process of starch extraction is relatively simple as there are only small amounts of secondary substances, such as protein, in the roots. When cassava roots are harvested or selected for starch extraction, age and root quality are critical factors. Cassava roots need to be processed almost immediately after harvest, as the roots are highly perishable and enzymatic processes accelerate deterioration within 1-2 days. A first-rate quality starch can be obtained 8

from cassava using only water, and this makes the processing of cassava starch and flour particularly suitable for developing countries and rural industries.

10. Livestock Feed from Cassava: Cassava Chips This is the most common form in which dried cassava roots are marketed and most exporting countries produce them. The chips are dried irregular slices of roots, which vary in size but should not exceed 5 cm in length so that they can be stored in silos. They are produced extensively in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and some parts of Africa. The present method of processing chips is very simple, consisting of peeling, washing, chipping the cassava roots, and then sun drying the slices or chips. The recovery rate of chips from roots is about 20-40% depending on the initial dry-matter content of the cassava roots and the final moisture of the chips. Chips should be white or near white in color, free from extraneous matter, molds, insect infestation and damage, and possess no peculiar odors. In addition, shipments of chips must not contain significant amounts of dust, as this is considered unacceptable by European importers. Broken Roots Similar to chips in appearance, but generally thicker and longer, they are often 12-15 cm long and can jam the mechanism of handling equipment. They are produced mainly in Africa where local processors prefer to produce longer roots because of the domestic demand mainly for products suitable for human consumption, as cassava is part of the staple diet. Once processed into chips, the product becomes inedible and the producer wants to conserve the local market. Pellets Pellets are obtained from dried and broken roots by grinding and hardening into a cylindrical shape. The cylinders are about 2-3 cm long and about 0.4-0.8 cm in diameter and are uniform in appearance and texture. Pellets are produced by feeding dried cassava chips into the pelleting machine, followed by screening and bagging for export. Powdered chips which fall down during pelleting are repressed into pellets and the process repeated. There is usually about 2-3% loss of weight during the process. Pellets have the following advantages over chips: quality is more uniform; they occupy 25-30% less space than chips, thus reducing the cost of transport and storage; handling charges for loading and unloading are also 9

cheaper; they usually reach their destination sound and undamaged, while a great part of a cargo of sliced chips is damaged in long-distance shipment because of sweating and heating. An indigenous fabricator in Nigeria, B & T Ventures, Ibadan, in collaboration with the cassava project at IITA, has been able to design and fabricate a pelleting machine that can produce three different types of cassava pellets: hard, soft, and floating. The floating pellets are used for feeding fish; the hard ones are for poultry and the soft ones for ruminants. Cassava Meal This is the powdered residue of the chips and roots after processing to extract edible starch. It is generally inferior in quality to chips, pellets, and broken roots, has lower starch content, and usually contains more sand. The use of cassava meal in the European Economic Community has declined with a shift to the other cassava products during the last few years. However, there will remain some demand for this product, especially by small-scale farmers who produce their own feedstuffs. Since it does not require grinding, it can be readily mixed with other ingredients. Cassava Residual Pulp During the processing of cassava starch, the residual pulp separated in the screening process is also used as an animal feed. It is usually utilized in the wet state (75-80% moisture content) in the neighborhood of the processing factory but is sometimes sun dried before it is sold. This product is considered a by-product of the cassava starch industry and represents about 10% by weight of the cassava roots. 11. Cassava-based Adhesives/Glue: The word adhesive as an adjective or a noun refers to substances which tend to adhere or stick to other substances. The interaction which develops between an adhesive and other dissimilar substance(s) when they have contact is called adhesion. Thus, adhesives are used to unite or bind materials and are very useful at home and in industry. List of Cassava Processing Equipments 1. Grater (Manual or Mechanical) 2. Pressing Machine (Hand driven or Hydraulic) 3. Mill/Miller Machine (Pin or Hammer) 4. High efficiency powder/flour/ starch Sifter/Sieving Machine 5. Bulk/Storage Bins 6. Disintegrator 7. Water Borehole 8. Peeler/Peeling Machine 9. Chipping Machine 10. Pelletizing Machine 11. Flash Dryer 10

12. Rotary Dryer 13. Cabinet Dryer 14. Cooler/Dehumidifier 15. Electric or Fuel-Driven Motors 16. Garri Frying Plate 17. Bag Sewing Machine 18. Packaging Machine 19. Washing Machine 20. Weighing Scale 21. Pulp Sedimentator

11

Prices of Some Processing Equipments Quotation for a Unit of Cassava Processing Centre Using Stainless Material for Production of Cassava Flour UNIT PRICE

S/N

MATERIAL

SPECIFICATIONS

NO(S)

COST

1.

Cassava Grater

3.5 tons/hr capacity grater coupled with 8hp Diesel 1 Engine (Stainless Material)

380,000

380,000.00

2.

Factory size of 2m height High Capacity x 0.7 width x 0.6 depth Cassava coupled with 30tons 4 Dewatering hydraulic jack and a waste Press water collecting chamber 500kg/batch 1 ton/hr capacity coupled with 3.6hp Diesel Engine 1 (Stainless Material)

180,000

720,000.00

3.

Pulverizer

380,000

380,000.00

4.

1ton/hr capacity cyclone Hammer Mill type coupled with 156hp 1 with Cyclone Electric motor (Stainless Material) All stainless steel, Blower in centrifugal with 20hp 1 and output capacity of 3 ton/day dried output

750,000

750,000.00

5.

Flash Dryer

4,000,000

4,000,000.00

TOTAL Table 2.4 Installation Cost - 10% N623, 000.00 Transportation Cost - 10% N623, 000.00 Total Cost - N7, 476,000

6,230,000.00

12

Quotation for a Unit of Cassava Processing Centre Using Stainless Material for Production of Cassava Chips S/N MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS NO(S) UNIT PRICE COST

1.

Cassava Chipper Tunnel Dryer

1 tons/hr capacity with 5.5hp Diesel Engine 2 (Stainless Material) 2.5ton dried output 1

250,000

500,000.00

2.

2,500,000

2,500,000.00 3,000,000.00

TOTAL Table 2.5 Installation Cost - 10% Transportation Cost - 10% Total Cost N Quotation for a Unit of Cassava Processing Centre Using Stainless Material for Production Of Garri S/N MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS NO(S) UNIT PRICE

COST

1.

Cassava Grater

3.5 tons/hr capacity grater coupled with 8hp Diesel 1 Engine (Stainless Material)

380,000

380,000.00

2.

Factory size of 2m height High Capacity x 0.7 width x 0.6 depth Cassava coupled with 30tons 4 Dewatering hydraulic jack and a waste Press water collecting chamber 500kg/batch Cassava Sifter Garri Mash 1ton/hr capacity coupled with 3.6hp Diesel Engine 1 (Stainless Material) 4

180,000

720,000.00

3.

380,000

380,000.00

Tray

100,000

400,000.00

13

Fryer TOTAL Installation Cost - 10% Transportation Cost - 10% Total Cost N Location The factory should be located in an area that is free from environmental pollution and any industrial activities that can pose a serious threat to contaminating food. Areas subject to flooding should be avoided unless sufficient safeguards are provided. The site should be cleared ground from waste, either liquid or solid, can be removed effectively and away from sources of insects and rodents. It should have a good supply of potable water and, if required, electricity. An access road for bringing in raw materials and packaging, and sending out products, is usually essential. 1,880,000.00

Process Control Equipment must be designed to dry, fry, cool or store food to achieve the required food temperature as rapidly as necessary in the interests of food safety and suitability, and to maintain them effectively. Equipment is designed to allow temperatures to be monitored and controlled. Where necessary, equipment should have effective means of controlling and monitoring humidity, airflow, and other characteristics likely to have a detrimental effect on the safety and suitability of food. Organizational Structure An organic staff structure is suitable for a start up cassava processing factory. This implies that there will be one level of management in which there will be a Manager, an assistant manager and a supervisor who will oversee other members of staff. The staff required to run the factory will include the following described below: Job Description and Qualifications Manager Assistant Manager Supervisor 14

Accountant Operators/Engineer Secretary Security Organizational Payment Structure S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DESIGNATION MANAGER ASSISTANT MANAGER SUPERVISOR/ LAB. TECH ACCOUNTANT MACHINE OPERATOR SECRETARY SECURITY SALARY (N) 40,000 32,000 27,000 24,000 20,000 15,000 10,000

3. MARKET ANALYSIS Target Market In a survey carried out by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in 2001 to discover the potential number of cassava industrial users, the method used was to list all potential users of industrial cassava from the National Telephone Directory Yellow Pages Section. It was believed that such a listing of industries would represent an unbiased cross-section of like industries, at least in terms of their desire to be listed in the Yellow Pages telephone directory. 15

Whether they still exist or not as an industry in Nigeria were irrelevant to the purpose of getting a general idea of preferred locations for industrial cassava production and processing. The categories used to collect the yellow pages listings included all possible industries, namely, Baby Food and Products Manufacturers, Bakers and Confectioners, Biscuit Manufacturers, Canned Food Manufacturers, Confectionery Raw Material Suppliers, Supermarkets and Department Stores, Explosives, Farmers, Fish Farmers, Flour Mills, Food Contractors and Foodstuffs Suppliers, Food Processing Companies, Foods and Beverage Producers, Garri Processing Industries, Grinding Mills, Hotels, Restaurants, Livestock Feed Manufacturers, Mud Products, Newspaper Manufacturers, Packaging Industries, Paper Bags Manufacturers, Paper Mills, Converters and Distributors, Poultry Farms, Poultry Feeds (Feed Mills), Shipping Companies and Agents, Snack Stores and Suppliers, Starch Mills, Textile Manufacturers, Timber Industries, Trade Organizations, Trade Promotion and Transporters. Of the 2, 356 firms found, some were obviously more interesting than others. For example, poultry farms and feed mills are meaningful because of the extent to which they could utilize cassava in their feeds. Food processing industries such as bakeries and flourmills are also interesting because of the potential to substitute cassava for wheat flour. Therefore, we can estimate the size and location of the majority of these firms as they operate in Nigeria, based on the findings in 2001. Below, there is an illustration of a map showing the concentration of bakeries and textile mills: Existing buyers of Peaks flash dryers are predominantly chemical companies from the SangoLagos Axis and a few beverages and food industries. Prospective buyers include Nigerian Distilleries in Ota who want 150 tonnes of cassava flour per day for ethanol production. DeUnited Nig Ltd., is looking to produce 60 000 tonne of cassava flour per month for noodles (Indomie Noodles). Oil companies are interested in producing cassava starch for drilling muds. Textile industries, although not currently using local cassava starch negotiations are currently underway between the Government, cassava processors and the textile industry. Finally, paper mills such as Iwop in Paper Mill in Ogun State and Okui Ibokwe Paper Mill in Akwa Ibom State may also patronize cassava starch in the near future. In previous sections, types of processed cassava were discussed. The Cassava products which are considered as industrial needs are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Starch Flour Chips Pellets 16

5. Ethanol Competition The following is a list of Cassava Processing Factories known to be presently operating in Nigeria including their core processed products:

Company Name 1 Matna Foods and Company Limited

B&T Ventures Nigeria Limited

Peak products Enterprises

National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike

Contact Details Km 19, Akure-Owo ExpressWay, Owo. Tel: 034-244713, 244883 Fax: 034-244883 Ondo State Jerusalem Estate, off Arulegun Road, Ojoo, Ibadan Tel: 0802 350 1031 Oyo State. Masaba Complex, Ita-Osin Abeokuta. Tel: 0803 334 2174 Ogun State Umudike, Umuahia

Processed Products Cassava Starch

Annual Requireme nts 24,000 tons

Year Establis hed 1988

Cassava Chips Cassava Pellets

36 tons

1989

Cassava Flour

1997

Cassava Chips Cassava Pellets Cassava Starch

150 tons

1976

Abia State Jonrinson's D.A. Plot 1, Sylvanus Igbodu & Close, YAMCO Bus Stop, Bada Co. Ltd Rd., Ayobo via Ipaja Tel: 0802 324 0626 Lagos State Seyi Villa, Oyin Rd, Ado Yinka Industries Ekiti 17

Cassava Starch Cassava Adhesives Cassava Pellets Cassva Flour

2000 tons

1992

Garri

250 tons

1982

and Agric. Company

Ado-Ekiti Tel: 030-250338 Ekiti State

4. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS ITEMS STARCH Cost of Factory Cost of Equipment N6,230,000 Start Up Costs Cost Production of N1,080,000 (180 tons) N1,080,00 0 (180tons) 2,250,000 (30ton) N12,000 (2tons) N24,000 (24bucket) N144,000 (24tons) N486,720 (312bowl) N144,000 (24tons) N224,800 (8160congos) FLOUR N6,230,00 0 FUFU GARRI LAFUN

N1,880,000

N1,880,000

N1,880,000

Monthly Total N2,700,000 Sales (30ton) Monthly Gross Profit (excluding salaries and operating costs) N1,620,000

N1,170,00 0

N12,000

N342,720

N100,800

5. RECOMMENDATION Experienced manager should be employed to oversee the affairs of the business. It will also be advised that an experience Engineer/Machine operator be employed to handle the machines. We also advise that at the start the Accountant can also pay the role of the Secretary. It is good to have competent personnel to handle the business account. This structure could be improved upon as the business grows. The need for innovative cassava processing technologies is also enormous. 6. CONCLUSION Cassava Processing is an emerging sector with huge prospects of returns. The business is such that ensures maximum profitability and it is certain that funds invested will be recovered.

18

The management the Company will guarantee that all operational facilities are efficiently maintained and serviced at timely intervals; also, funds will be carefully managed and circulated especially in the areas of marketing, distribution of products and in the purchase of necessary materials. With proper implementation, effective and prudent management, the Company will make more than the projected profits in the plan.

19