Product Description: Composite flour is a mixture of cereals or legumes or the combination of both. Cereals in composite flour processing include sorghum, wheat, barley and maize. The legumes are beans, peas, chick peas and soybeans. In most cases, composite flour is delivered packed in plastic bags of either 5kg or 10kg. The main nutritional value of composite flour (if it is a mixture of cereals and legumes), is that it contains both carbohydrates and proteins which is particularly useful for feeding children.
Market Potential: Considering its nutrition content, the main consumers of composite flour are mother and children. This group of people comprises about 56 percent of the population in the Amhara region. This translates in to 10.8 million people (2006). The potential consumption of composite flour by mother and children in the Amhara Region is the potential demand for this product in the region. If we assume that one potential consumer of the product consumes about 50gm of composite flour per day, total potential annual demand of the product in the region could reach about 197100 tons (10.8 million X .05 kg X 365). However, given the level of income of the overwhelming majority of the people in the Amhara region, it is unrealistic to expect that all the potential consumers will actually consume composite flour. Hence, to be on the safe side, we have assumed that only 30 percent of the potential customers will consume composite flour in the region. With this assumption, the annual demand for the product under consideration will be 59130 tons. As population increases and the level of personal income grow, this annual demand will also increase. This roughly estimated demand for composite flour will be sufficient to absorb the production of more than two medium sized flour mills and the region.
"Source of raw material":- As mentioned above, the main raw materials for composite flours are cercal (wheat, barley, and oats) and legumes (peas, beans, click peas, lentils.....). The Amhara region is one of the regions in the country, where these groups of crops grow relatively in large quantities. The region will supply sufficient quantities of these crops for the plants to be established.
Process and Technology: The raw materials are first cleaned by a separator and suction filter. Then it is scoured after being weighted in the weighing section. It is stored in the dampener where water is added for dreiching. Milling is then performed and inserted into the square sifter. Next it is delivered to a double deck purifier and then to the needling mill. Finally the products are mixed in a mixing vessel according to proportional mix ratio. It will then be inspected, weighed and packed. Main machinery and equipment need for the plant include screw conveyor, weighing machine, milling separator, dis separator, scores machine, suction fitter, dust collector, stoner, dampener, brush machine, pneumatic conveyor, double roll mill, square sifts, double deck purifier, bran finisher, midding mill, agitator, packer, bucket elevator, chain feeders, mixers and bagging macine.
Estimated Investment: For a plant which can produce 30,000 tons of composite flour per year, working three-shifts per day and 250 days per year, the estimated investment will be:-
Ø Buildings and civil works..... = Birr 20,320,000
Ø Machinery and equipment.. = Birr 25,600,000
Ø Working capital................. = Birr 10,000,000
Total = Birr 55,920,000
(A plant will lower capacity will require lower investment cost.)
Benefits: Contributes to the reduction of nutrition deficiency in the region, stimulates production of legumes by creating a new demand for the crops, and diversifies the pattern of food consumption in the region by reducing the high dependency on cereals and by increasing the consumption of legumes.
Location:- Bahir Dar, Debre Markos or Finote Selam, Debre Tabor Dessie, Gondar.