9 Steps to Produce Flour in Nigeria
Here in this post, we are going to give you a detailed and well-researched guide on 9 steps to produce flour in Nigeria. We hope you find this helpful.
There are different types of flour, but in this article I will be treating the popular cassava flour. Flour production is a very lucrative business that can earn you a reasonable and sustaining income. If you are contemplating starting up a flour business, this article is the right one for you.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaOverview of Flour business in Nigeria
The flour business has been around for years, and previous government administrations have tried to empower flour producers.
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In 2001, the president was a farmer and therefore understood the challenges farmers faced. This caused him to implement policies that would help flour producers thrive.
Flour production is a very lucrative business, that requires a moderate startup capital and huge returns, so far you know what you are doing. So take notes as I will carefully, explain how to start a flour production factory in Nigeria.
Profitability
Let me hit the nail on the head, flour production is a very, very lucrative business. The Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, increased the import duty on wheat, this caused bread producers to seek another alternative in cassava flour. Lately, most of the bread and pastry products we eat contains cassava flour.
A bag of cassava flour cost about 20,000 naira, as at the time of writing this article. Depending on your scale of production, you might be producing 15-20 bags of flour in 1 week.
When you do the calculation, you find out that you can be making close to 400,000 naira weekly from this business. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your business now, and who knows you could become the next big player in flour production.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaRaw Materials/ Equipment Needed
In order produce high-quality cassava flour, the fresh cassava roots must be harvested 10-12 months after planting. The fresh roots must be healthy without rot and well-handled and taken care of from farm. The roots should be processed within 24 hours after harvesting.
N.B- If you cannot plant your own cassava, I will suggest you buy it from local farmers, who will sell to you at a reasonable price. It is important that you obtain fresh and healthy cassava, to avoid poor quality production.
You will need to purchase the equipment displayed above. However, do note that some of them might need to be imported, while some can be gotten from a big market like Aba.
The process for production of Cassava include:
- Peeling- You will need to peel off the woody tips with a stainless knife, and clean it properly.
- Washing- Carefully wash the peeled roots to remove pieces of dirt.
- Crushing- Grate the roots properly, to obtain fully uniform mash. The roots must not contain lumps to get great result.
- Press Dewatering- The mash is then put into a sack, and pressed to remove as much moisture as possible. Complete removal of moisture will facilitate drying.
- Sieving- Cake breaking is done using clean hands followed by sifting with non-rusting sifter into clean basin.
- Drying- Now you have to dry the disintegrated cake in a dryer, to reduce moisture level to acceptable level according to national regulatory standards.
- Milling- Milling is done to obtain fine textured flour using hammer mill or disc attrition mill.
- Packaging- Pack the flour into a sack, seal as much as possible to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the environment
- Storing- Store in a cool and dry environment.
Source for Capital
Before you begin a business, you will need to source for the required capital to start it up. If you have some savings, that is a good place to start.
However, you can also ask for support from family and friends or take small scale business loans. You can also look for investors, who are willing to take a risk in investing in your idea in hope of a good return.
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Map Out a Business Plan
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of starting up a business with no plan. Eventually, this businesses fail and they are left wondering where it all went wrong.
So you will need to write out a business plan, a business plan should contain; Cost of setup, cost of maintenance, projected earnings, required labor force and your budget.
Furthermore, most investors will likely ask for a business plan before they can invest in your business. So take your time to write this and print into a file. You would be making reference to it in the future, so it is best you keep it well.
Get a Location
Now that you have obtained the required capital to set up the business, it is time to find a good location where all operations can be carried out from.
The property doesn’t have to be too big, neither should it be small. I will advise that you get a property that is close to the market, this will reduce the struggles of transportation. You can hire a Property agent, who will help you find a property that will do just fine for your business.
Register Your Business
Most blogs will likely skip this step however, it is not only legal to register your business, and it also gives your business a sense of professionalism.
Visit the closest CAC office in your area, tell them you want to register your business and you will be given a form in which to fill some details.
The process might seem too ambiguous, so you can also hire a qualified lawyer to help guide you through the process.
Beware of scams in this process as there are people who may hover around the CAC office claiming to be officials, do not give anybody any money. Go into the office and conduct your business there.
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Hire Labor
Cassava flour production isn’t a job for just one individual. About 2-3 persons might need to handle one equipment, so you might consider hiring a labor force of 10-15 persons.
However, make sure you hire responsible, accountable and hardworking workers. Lazy workers can kill a business faster than lack of funding or even an economic crash.
Market Your Business
Always pay close attention to this part of any business plan. Marketing is very essential to the success of any product. Print leaflets and flyers, consider using a radio broadcast advert.
You can also make use of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to reach Nigerians. If your budget will permit you, Television adverts might not be a bad option as it is known to give fantastic results
Conclusion
Flour production is a lucrative business, yet to be exploited fully by entrepreneurs. You could also consider expanding into planting your own cassava as time goes by.
N.B Do not just rely on one supplier of cassava (If you can’t farm yours), this will ensure that you meet up with schedule in case one of your suppliers disappoint you.