How To Start Garri Processing Business In Nigeria (2024)

In this article, we shall be discussing about how to start garri processing business in Nigeria this 2024 in order to enlighten you on the various step by step processes involved in taking this business straight out of the thought process and making a reality. Kindly stay with us as we discuss further.

Garri is simply cassava flour that is gotten from processed cassava tubers. It is consumed in many parts of West Africa, especially in Nigeria, which is the largest producer of cassava in the world as eba or ‘swallow’, accompanied with different stews and soups. Garri is also consumed as a snack, cereal, or light meal, known as ‘drinking garri’, and this can be achieved when the garri is soaked in lukewarm or cold water, mixed with sugar or honey, and sometimes groundnut, coconut and milk.

Many people refer to garri as a life saver in Nigeria because it comes in handy when one wants to quell hunger in the interim before going on to prepare the main dish that can serve at a later time. There is no specific way to how garri is consumed as different people in the country all have their preferred ways of consuming this very important gift of nature to the West African sub-region.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF GARRI IN NIGERIA TODAY

There are three (3) types of garri in Nigeria currently, and they are:

• White Garri
• Yellow Garri, and
• Ijebu Garri.

WHITE GARRI

The white garri is the most popular type of garri in all of West Africa, and narrowing this down to Nigeria, this type of garri is very well known and consumed by many people in the country. During its processing, it is kept to be fermented without the addition of palm oil for a few days, after which it is later fried that way to maintain its white colour.

YELLOW GARRI

The yellow garri is mostly popular among the people of the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Many people refer to it as the ‘Igbo garri’ because it is mostly consumed by many Igbos in the country. During its processing, the white garri is left to ferment with the addition of palm oil in order to fortify it with vitamin A, after which it is then fried to give it that crispy, yellow look.

IJEBU GARRI

The Ijebu garri is peculiar to the Ijebu people of Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria. It is basically processed the same way other types of garri are processed with the only difference being that it is left to ferment for a longer timeframe than the other types with no palm oil added, giving it its distinct sour taste. Ijebu garri is best for ‘drinking’ or ‘soaking’ as some people may call it.

THINGS TO KNOW WHEN STARTING GARRI BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The major raw material needed for the production of garri in Nigeria is the cassava root tubers. Cassava is the third largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. This tuberous root is a major staple food in many developing countries, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils, and Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world.

Going into the garri business in Nigeria can guarantee you huge profits and one of the reasons is that cassava is cultivated all year round in the country. Starting a garri processing business in Nigeria involves buying all the equipment needed to effectively process your cassava into garri in a clearly defined order.

HOW TO START GARRI PROCESSING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 2024 

The following are the step by step processes on how to start garri processing business in Nigeria this 2024:

MAKE AVAILABLE THE CAPITAL NEEDED FOR THE BUSINESS

Depending on your capacity, you can start garri production/processing either on a small scale or large scale. If you have a piece of land, you can start garri processing business on a large scale with a capital in the range between ₦500,000 – ₦1 million. You can take loans if the need be. This capital should cover the cost of planting your cassava, harvesting it, processing the cassava into garri, packaging and mobility. You can however still decide to do it on a small scale with the right local garri processing equipment.

Bear in mind that before starting this business, you will also need to know the price of cassava in your area, the price of garri processing equipment, and the market price of garri. Once this is done, you can have a basic understanding of how much money you actually need to start garri processing business in Nigeria and project how much profit can you make from it.

GET A GOOD LOCATION FOR YOUR GARRI PROCESSING BUSINESS 

A good location starts with the type of land you want to purchase in order to plant your cassava for the purpose of processing it into garri. The best types of land for this business are situated in rural areas. The land should be rich in loamy soil as cassava does excellently well in loamy soils. Apart from land for cultivating your cassava, you also need an open sided building that will enable you receive fresh cassava roots directly from your suppliers.

You can divide this open sided building into two compartments such as the wet and dry sections respectively with the wet section serving the purpose of all wet operations such as washing, grating, fermenting and pressing after the cassava peeling must have been done. Once all the water has been pressed out, the cassava can be sieved and transferred to the dry section.

The dry section should cover activities involved in garri processing such as frying/roasting and packaging of the garri. Once packaging is done, the garri can be stored or moved to the market for sale. Well processed garri can last up to one year.

PLANT YOUR CASSAVA

Cassava is obviously the raw material needed for garri processing business in Nigeria, which is planted everywhere in the country all year round. You do not need to worry about the supply of raw materials as you can either buy land to plant your cassava, or buy the cassava from local farmers around. If you however, decide to cultivate your cassava by yourself, ensure that you plant your cassava stems properly, apply fertilizer appropriately and weed your farm regularly.

HARVEST YOUR CASSAVA

Once your cassava matures in 6-7 months, you can harvest it. Signs of maturity include the leaves changing colour from green to yellow after a number of months. Ensure that you harvest your cassava only when tubers are fully mature. It is very important that you select healthy stems to boost your crop yield.

PROCESS YOUR CASSAVA INTO GARRI

To process cassava into garri, the cassava tubers are peeled, washed and grated or crushed to produce a pulp. This pulp can be mixed with palm oil to make yellow garri or it can be left that way, after which it is placed in a porous bag. The porous bag is then placed in an adjustable press machine for a timeframe ranging from a number of hours to a few days so as to remove excess water. Once it is dried, it is then sieved and fried or roasted in a large frying pan with or without palm oil. The dry garri can be then be stored for long periods or transported to the market for sale.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR GARRI PROCESSING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The following are the equipment needed for local garri processing business in Nigeria:

• Harvesters
• Peelers
• Washers
• Graters and Chippers
• Dryers
• Frying Pans
• Turning Spoon
• Tripod etc.

For industrial garri processing, the following equipment are needed:

• Disc Mill
• Tank Dryer
• Aspirator
• Pressure Cooker Aluminum Pots
• Heavy Duty Weighing Scale (Capacity 0-100kg)
• Cassava Grating Machine (Hammer Mill)
• Gas Cookers and Accessories
• Hammer Mill with 5mm Mesh Aperture
• Semi-Auto Auger Filling Machine
• Heat Sealing Machine (Industrial)
• Blending Machine (Cone Blender)
• Sieving Machine (1000 x 450 Micro Mesh Aperture)
• Granulator (with 10mm Mesh Aperture)
• Dewatering Machine (Hydraulic Press)
• Rotary Dryer
• Granulator.

PACKAGING THE PROCESSED GARRI

Packaging is the final stage in the processing of garri. This is done after frying, and the processed garri is put in air sacks and left in the open so that it can dry properly to avoid lumping. Packaging should be done very neatly to make your product stand out from the rest in the market.