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By Bimbola Oyesola
Reactions trailing the Federal Government’s announcement about a month ago that Nigeria would be exporting yams to other countries of the world have been overwhelming. But looking at the economy, one cannot rule out the fact that Nigeria needs to earn foreign exchange to exit the present recession. If we are to look beyond the oil, then other sectors like the manufacturing and agriculture must be given necessary consideration.
As the Federal Government has considered yam for export, many people have spoken that it would be more beneficial if Nigeria can add value and not export the raw yam. Hence, one of such value addition is processing yam into flour and packaging it both for local and international markets. Yam is a popular food in many continents including Africa, Asia, India, and Latin America. The delicious tuber provides much needed sustenance giving it a high economic value.
The starchy tubers have different variants of white and yellow like the species predominantly found in China, West Africa, and Asia. Africa being the hub of yam production has an estimated output of over 80 million tonnes in 2014.
Yam, apart from its economic value, is nutritious, high in vitamin C, dietary fibre, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese while being low in saturated fat and sodium. Vitamin C, dietary fibre and vitamin B6 may all promote good health. Furthermore, a product that is high in potassium and low in sodium is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart disease.
Yam tuber, which grows beneath the ground, can be roasted, fried, baked, grilled, boiled or pounded. The traditional method of making pounded yam, which requires physical pounding with mortar and pestle is very laborious and in some cases, unhygienic. The increasing number of middle class families and the rise in health consciousness among the populace is making the traditional way of processing pounded yam in Nigeria a thing of the past as more and more families are shifting from the use of mortar and pestle to already processed pounded yam.
The process of producing instant yam flour is quite simple; it involves slicing, parboiling, drying and milling of the product to yield flour.
Other factors that make yam flour attractive include good growing climate, durability, easy accessibility and huge returns on investment. The machinery and equipment required for production can be sourced locally or from abroad.
Yam flour
There are two types of edible yam flour in West Africa, but the modes of preparation are different. Yam tuber can be processed in different ways to achieve white or slightly brownish-soft flour depending on the type of yam flour used.
Yams have a long shelf-life even without refrigeration and seem to taste better with age. Pounded yam flour can last even longer when preserved and is less bulky.
Pounded yam flour export potential
Pounded yam flour is mainly used at home and social gatherings. Its simplicity, lovely taste, and ease of preparation have almost rendered the traditional method obsolete.
Apart from the high demand for the produce, entrepreneurs have found the flour highly exportable. The very high demand for exports is because of scarcity of yam in Europe, America and Australia. With many Nigerians living abroad, demand for pounded yam as one of the traditional foods for people in diaspora will continue to increase and this means a good return on investment for any entrepreneur that can seize the opportunity to go into its production.
Equipment
The following machinery and equipment are required for small scale pounded yam flour production. These equipment can be sourced locally at affordable prices. They include yam slicer, milling machine (Hammer Mill), drier, parboiler, weighing scale, sieving machine, sealing machine and branded polythene or nylon bags for packaging.
Production process
•Yam selection: Fresh harvested yam tubers from the farm are sorted to select wholesome tubers suitable for the production of instant pounded yam flour. Usually, the mature white varieties of yam are most suitable.
•Weighing: The selected tubers are weighed properly.
•Washing: The yam tubers are washed properly to get rid of sand and other extraneous materials.
•Peeling and slicing: The washed yam tubers are peeled and then sliced to desired thickness.
•Parboiling: The sliced tubers are then put into boiling water over a period of time depending on the thickness of the slices.
•Drying: The parboiled yam slices are dried in a dryer at a specified drying temperature and time.
•Milling: The dried yam slices are milled directly into flour of uniform particle size.
•Packaging: The instant pounded yam flour is finally packaged in moisture proof nylon bags.
Raw materials, supplies and inputs
The only raw material required for the production of instant pounded yam flour is yam tubers. Nigeria has an abundant supply of yam, especially in the Middle Belt, South West (Oyo, Ondo and Osun states) and some parts of the North and Eastern Nigeria. The major item of supplies is the packaging material. Other supplies required include factory wears (overalls, hand gloves, factory shoes and nose masks), disinfectants, among others. Electricity, diesel (for generator and project truck) and water are also major utilities required for smooth production of instant pounded yam flour.
Staff
For small scale production, only two personnel will be required and you can save cost on facility by using your home. However, more hands will be needed if you intend to scale up production.
Marketing
As stated earlier, there is huge potential in export to earn you foreign exchange. So you can export the yam powder via air transportation or ship for larger consignments. Domestic needs are also high, hence you can sell your product in supermarkets, local stores and even set up your own website to promote and sell your products online.
Like any other business, you need to register with appropriate authorities such as Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), NAFDAC and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), among others.
