Cassava Noodles production

Muhammed Alhassan

Market findings revealed that the product has a lot of industrial applications. It could be used as food in the preparation of bread, macro, noodles, custard, sauce, snacks and Ogi.

INTRODUCTION TO CASSAVA NOODLES PRODUCTION

Over the years noodles have become an acceptable and domineering food component of most Nigerian homes because of its unique taste and ease of preparation, with the first noodle brand introduced into the country more than 20 years ago.  It is a staple food which originated from Asia in the 9th century and then spread to Europe, the far east and the rest of the world with the major primary ingredient of production being wheat.

In the noodle industry of the country, there are about 17 players in noodle manufacturing with more than 30,000 people directly employed in the industry and more than 200,000 distributors employed. This has created a huge avenue for supplies for the flour milling companies, the refineries, the palm oil plantations, the packaging companies and the carton manufacturers with the consumption rate around 260 to 280 thousand tonnes per annum.

One of the challenges faced by the industry is the rising cost and availability of its primary raw material in this case which will be wheat powder. There is a global demand for wheat in the international market from the brewing industries, confectionary industries and also competition from the local industry. This places pressure on the commodity subjecting it to erratic price fluctuations.

However, The Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi has researched into the use of roots and tubers as partial substitutes for wheat semolina in noodle production. The process technology developed has been perfected and is available for transfer to entrepreneurs.

CASSAVA NOODLES PRODUCTION PROCESS (Courtesy of FIIRO)

  • Pre-gelling- cassava is pre- gelled
  • Mixing- The pre-gelled mixture flour is mixed with other ingredients
  • Dough Extrusion- the dough is extruded into desired shapes
  • Resting and Conditioning-  The noodle is conditioned
  • Drying- The conditioned noodle is dried
  • Cooling and Packaging- The dried noodle is cooled and packaged in bi-axial oriented polypropylene films (BOPP).

                                                  PRODUCTION FLOW CHART

Cassava Noodles Flowchart

RAW MATERIALS SUPPLIES AND UTILITIES

The major raw materials for cassava-based noodles are cassava flour, wheat flour, salt, vegetable oil, and noodle improver.

The main items of supply are packaging materials and factory wears such as boots, coveralls, gloves, etc. the major utilities are electricity, diesel, and water. A 40KVA generator is needed as back-up for power supply.

LABOUR REQUIREMENTS- Labour requirements consist of both skilled and unskilled labour. The manpower is made up of production, marketing, administrative and accounting personnel. About twenty-nine (29) personnel are required.

MACHINE AND EQUIPMENT-

The machinery and equipment for cassava noodle can be fabricated locally. The equipment list is as follows:

  • Gelatinizer
  • Extruder
  • Tray dryer
  • Packaging machine
  • Weighing scale and other accessories

The total cost of machinery and equipment is about N5, 650, 000.00 including 10% installation, of course, this depends on the capacity. Please note that the price may vary.

CAPITALIZATION

 The estimated total initial investment is N13, 666, 720.00. this is made up of N10, 363, 750.00 initial fixed capital, N2,750, 000.00 initial working capital and N552,970.00 pre-production expense.

SPACE REQUIREMENT

One plot of land is required for this project. The actual space required for factory construction is about 15m X 15m.

                                                       PRODUCTION PROGRAMME

Production Days/Week                                                                                  5

Production Week/Annum                                                                              50

Production Days per Annum                                                                         250

Production Volume /day                                                                               2 tonnes

Production Volume /annum                                                                          500 tonnes

                                                     PROFITABILITY

Sales revenue from 325T (team)                                                                    N60, 937, 500.00

Total production cost                                                                                      N51, 097, 860.00

Profit before Tax                                                                                             N9, 839, 640.00

Tax@ 30%                                                                                                       N2, 951, 892.00

Net profit                                                                                                        N6, 887, 748.00

Gross profit                                                                                                                16.1%

Net profit to sales                                                                                                       11.3%

Return on investment                                                                                                   50.4%

Return on equity                                                                                                         126%

NPV @25%                                                                                                      N6, 045, 318.00

Break-even point (team)                                                                                                39.8%

Payback period                                                                                                           1.4 years

Profitability index                                                                                                          2.1

The figures presented above are credited to Federal Institute Of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) 

For more information contact: senceagric@senceworld.com

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Muhammed Alhassan