FUFU FLOUR PRODUCTION

Fufu produced by the traditional cassava processor is obtained in wet form hence cannot keep long. Apart from the problem of shelf-life, the characteristic offensive odour of this product put many people off who would have loved to consume the product. Hence, Ogbidi Farms Ltd has developed and perfected the process technology for producing fufu in powder form, thus eliminating shelf-life problem as well as removing the effensive characteristic odour. This technology is available at with us, for transfer to investor and potential investors.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

The basic unit operations involved in powder fufu production are:

*   SORTING

     Cassava roots are sorted to select wholesome roots for processing.

*   WEIGHING

     The whole some roots are weighed.

*   PEELING

     The roots are peeled in preparation for further processing.

*   WASHING

     The peeled cassava roots are washed thoroughly.

*   STEEPING (SOAKING)

     The roots are soaked in clean water over a long period of time.

*   PULPING AN SIFTING

     The softened roots are pulped and sifted using a substantial quantity of water.

*   SEDIMENTATION

     The slurry is allowed to sediment under gravity over a period of time.

*   DEWATERING

The thick slurry obtained after removing the upper layer of supernatant liquid is dewatered to reduce its moisture content.

*        GRANULATING

          The resultant cake is granulated to fine granules or prepare it for drying operation.

*        DRYING

          The granulated fufu cake is dried to yield grits of about 10% moisture content.

*        SIEVING

          The dried grits is subjected to size separation.

*        MILLING

          The coarse particles are collected and milled to desired particle size.

*        BLENDING

          The coarse particles are collected and milled coarse particles.

*        PACKAGING

          The fufu powder is packaged with appropriate packaging material.

LABOUR REQUIREMENT

Both skilled and unskilled labour are required for this project. A total of about 46 workers are required for production, marketing and administration.

CAPITAL REQUIREMENT

The estimated total initial investment is N37,145,080.00. This consists of the initial fixed capital of N28,213,260.00 (including factory building, machinery and equipment, generator, project vehicle, office furniture, equipment and bore hole), initial working capital of N6,774,470,00 and pre-production expenses of N2,157,330.00.

SPACE REQUIREMENT

Two plots of land are adequate for this project.

RAW MATERIAL, SUPPLIES AND UTILITIES

Fresh cassava root is the only raw material for production of Fufu Flour. Cassava is grown in almost all the states in Nigeria and Nigeria has been rated highest producer of cassava in the world. The major item of supplies is the packaging materials. Other supplies requirement include factory wears (overall, hand gloves, factory shoe, nose mask), cleansing agents, disinfectants, etc. Electricity, diesel (for generator and project truck), Low Pore Fuel Oil (LPFO) for firing the flash dryer, and water are the major utilities requirement.

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

The major equipment for production of Fufu Flour are: Pulper, Hammer mill grates, Sedimentation tank, Hydraulic press, Ganulator, Flash dryer, Cone blender, Vibro sifter, Hammer mill with cyclone, Packaging machine and Weighing machine. These can be fabricated at FIIRO. The cost of the equipment with capacity of 4 Tonnes of Fufu Powder per day is N16,719,780.00. This includes the cost of installation.

PRODUCTION PROGRAMME

Production Days/week                                    -        6

Production Weeks/Annum                               -        50

Production Days/Annum                                 -        300

Production Volume/Day                                  -        4 Tonnes

Production Volume/Annum                              -        1,200 Tonnes

Input-Output Ratio                                        -        1:0.18 (18% yield)

PROFITABILITY                                                            N’000

Total Revenue                                                         126,000.00

Total Production Cost                                              94,248.10

Gross Profit before Tax                                            31,751.90

Tax @ 30%                                                            9,525.57

NET PROFIT                                                           22,226.33

Gross Profit to Sales                                                         25.2%

Net Profit to Sales                                                   17.6%

Return on Investment (Year 1)                                 138.0%

Return on Equity                                                     347.5%

Payback Period                                                       1.2 Years

Break-Even Point                                                     38.9%

Net Present Value @ 25%                                        N76,400.59

Sorting

Weighing

Peeling

Washing

Steeping

Pulping & Sifting

Sedimentation

Dewatering

Granulating

Drying

Sieving

Milling

Blending 

                                                          Packaging

 TOMATO PASTE PRODUCT

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon Iycopersium) are among the most widely grown fruits in the world. It is usually grown in areas with moderate rainfall of 500 – 750mmm. It is grown largely in China, USA, Italy, Brazil, Egypt, India, Thailand, Nigeria, and Chad. The world output was 129.65 million tones (FAO, 2001). Nigeria with annual production output of 1,700,000 metric tones, produces about 1,3% of the world production of fresh tomatoes FAOSTAT (2007).

In Nigeria, the fruits are usually consumed fresh as and processed products. It is cultivated in many states in Northern Nigeria and the Middle belt. The major production states include Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, kaduna, Niger, Borno, Kebbi and Sokoto. Tomato is very rich mineral, vitamins, Carbohydrates and proteins. It is one of the widely used versatile vegetable crops.

Despite the huge quantity of fresh tomatoes produced in Nigeria, about 50% are lost due to post harvest activities. In addition, the country has been beseeched with a lot of brands of tomato paste such as Tomato fun, Rosa, Tasty tom, Gino, Vitali, immaculate, Roma, St. Rita etc. majority of which are made from imported tomato paste and it has been reported that the country imports processed tomato paste to the tunne of 65,509 tones, valued at USD 77,167 million annually.

This constitutes a huge drain on the country’s scarce foreign reserve.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

The basic steps involved in tomato paste productions are:

• Sorting: Fresh and ripe tomatoes are properly selected and weighed appropriately.
• Washing: The selected tomatoes are washed to remove sand and other dirty materials.
• Blanching: The washed tomatoes are immersed in hot water for about 5 min and drained.
• Pulping: The blanched product is then milled three times to form pulp.
• Sieving: The pulp is sieved to remove the seeds and the skins.
• Boiling: The sieved pulp is then heated to drain all the water to the desired total solid content (usually 28-30%).
• Preservation: The resulted tomato paste is then preserved using sodium benzoate at 0.03% w/w.
• Filling: The tomato paste is filled into sachets and pasteurized at 900C.

Tomato Paste Production Flow Chart

Fresh tomatoes

Sorting and weighing

Washing

Blanching

Pulping

Sieving

Boiling

Preservation

Filling

Preservation

Packaging

RAW MATERIAL, SUPPLIES AND UTILITIES

The major raw materials for tomato paste production is raw tomato. The main items of supplies are packaging materials including printed Aluminium laminated sachet (70g( and cartons. Others include factory wears (factory overall, hand gloves, factory shoe, etc) cleansing agents, disinfectants, etc. major items of utilities are electricity, diesel and water.

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

The machinery and equipment required for this project can be obtained at FIIRO. The major equipment are: Fruit washer, Fine pulper, Screw pump, RSSP cooler, Storage tank, Form fill and Seal machine for Tomato paste, Fruit mill, SS tank, Boiler, Steam pressure reducing station, Steam piping, Product piping and Valves, Water piping, Water chiller and Cooling tower pump and Piping. The cost of machinery and equipment for a-5T/day is N44,066,730.00. This includes installation cost of 10%.

LABOUR REQUIREMENT

Both skilled and unskilled labour are required for this project. For a small scale production, a total of about 52 workers are required for production, marketing, accounting and administration of the project.

CAPITAL REQUIREMENT

The estimated total initial investment is N70,452,340.00. This consists of the initial fixed capital of N54,772,520.00 (including factory building, machinery and equipment, generator, project vehicle, office furniture and equipment and bore hole), initial working capital of N11,668,290.00 and pre-production expenses of N4,011,530.00.

SPACE REQUIREMENT

Two plots of land is adequate for the project.

PROFITABILITY

Total Revenue                                 234,000.00

Total Production Cost                      187,906.13

Gross Profit Before Tax                      46,093.87

Tax @ 30%                                      13,828.16

NET PROFIT                                     32,265.71

Gross Profit to Sales                               19,70%

Net Profit to Sales                                  13,80%

Return on Investment (Year 1)                45,80%

Payback Period                                     1.5 Years

Break-Even Point                                    41.70%

Net Present Value @ 25%                  N22,409.28