Ogi Powder Production in Nigeria

Maize (Zea mays L.), or corn as it is called in USA, has a multitude of uses and ranks second to wheat among the world’s cereal crops in terms of total production. Also, because of its worldwide distribution and lower prices relative to other cereals, maize has a wider range of uses than any other cereal.

Maize can be processed into different products for various end uses at the traditional level and on an industrial scale. While a large proportion of products utilized in developing countries are obtained via traditional processing, industrial processing meets the bulk of the demand in developed countries.

Nigeria has an annual maize production in excess of 10.3 million metric tons and is ranked as one of the top twenty largest producers in the world.

“Ogi” is a fermented product made from maize. Traditionally, it is obtained in wet form and serves as breakfast cereal for both children and adults. “Ogi” prepared by the traditional method has short shelf-life, and therefore, requires adequate processing to make it shelf-stable and of high quality.

The main raw material i.e. maize is readily available in commercial quantity in Nigeria.

There is enormous demand for various types of breakfast cereals and weaning foods in Nigeria. Many homes and indeed many individual consume various types of cereals on a fairly regular basis.

Ogi powder is consumed as a breakfast cereal and also as weaning food for children. For many families, it comes as a cheap but good source of carbohydrate especially when compared with and other brands of cereals in the market.

The production plant comprises of Flash Dryer, Steeping Tank, Grains Destoner, Sedimentation Tank, 3KW Milk Pump, Aspirator, Blender, Fiber Mill, Fiber Wishing Screen, Hydraulic Press, 2KW Cake Granulator, Centrifugal Sieve, Automatic Powder Filling and Sealing Machine, Weighing Scale and other accessories.

The proposed production volume is two point five (2.5) tons/day and the plant would operate at eighty percent (80%) of the installed capacity for a single shift of eight (8) hours per day for three hundred (300) working days per annum and producing one hundred thousand (100,000) pieces of one (1) kg of transparent polythene nylon of ogi powder bi-monthly with input output ratio of 1 : 0.35.

The purpose of the feasibility study is to consider the economic viability or not of establishing a ogi powder plant in Nigeria using maize and vitamin pre-mix as the raw materials.