CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the results and discussion of the study on traditional and modern groundnut processing and marketing in North Central Nigeria. Firstly, it examined the socio-economic characteristics of groundnut oil processors; then described the groundnut processing and marketing systems and hence the processing value chain; examined the input use efficiency in groundnut processing and the factors that made for efficiency. It also dealt with the profitability of processing and the marketing of groundnut oil (GNO) and groundnut cake (GNC), and the factors that determined profitability. It also assessed the value added by processing groundnut into oil and cake; and examined the integration of GNO and GNC markets and the factors that influenced market integration. Finally it examined the problems of GNO processing industry in the study area.
4.1 Socio-economic Characteristics of Traditional and Modern Groundnut Oil Processors in North Central Nigeria
The socio-economic characteristics of groundnut oil processors in North Central Nigeria (NCN) are shown in Table 4.1. This is presented for traditional processors and modern processors.
4.1.1 Age distribution of groundnut oil processors.
The age distribution of the processors in the selected states (Table 4.1) shows that 45% of the traditional processors in Nasarawa State and 56% in Niger state were aged between 31 and 40 years, constituting the largest group of respondents. In Benue State, the age group 21 to 30 years was the highest with 33%. The lowest group was that of those aged 51 years and above having 17% in Benue State; 7% in Nasarawa State and 1.67% in Niger State.
In the pooled result for the North Central Nigeria, the age group, 31 to 40 years, was the highest with 42% and the lowest was 51 years and above with 8%. Among the modern processors, this age group was also the highest with 47%. The average age of traditional processors in the entire North Central Nigeria was 38years. The minimum age of 20 years was found in Benue State and the maximum age of 65 years was in Niger State. For modern processors the average age was 41 years with a minimum of 28 years and a maximum of 58 years.
4.1.2 Gender distribution of the processors
The gender distribution of the processors also presented in Table 4.1 shows that 97%, 96% and 94% of the traditional processors in Benue, Niger and Nasarawa States, respectively, were female. The males were 3%, 4% and 6% for the respective states. This showed that women were more involved in small-scale traditional GNO processing than men, probably because of their involvement in processing food for home consumption. This agrees with Bruinsma & Nout (1991) that more women are involved in food processing because of their domestic role in processing food for home consumption.
For the North Central Zone, the females accounted for 94.86% of traditional processors and males, 5.14%. In modern processing, 88.2% were males and 11.76%, females. This drastic switch in gender participation might be attributed to the fact that female processors did not have the needed capital to invest in modern processing requiring modern machines and processing technologies. This agreed with Bruinsvma & Nout, (1991) and Bruinsma (1999) that an inverse relationship existed between investment in processing and women participation in agro-processing. They also reported a direct relationship for men; which is also shown in their participation in modern processing.
4.1.3 Marital status
The results showed that most of the traditional processors in the states were married. Ninety eight percent of them were married in Niger State while Nasarawa and Benue States had 96% each. The result for the entire North central zone showed that 96.6% of the traditional processors were married. For modern processors, all (100%) of them were married. The result implied that most of the processors were married and needed to work so as to earn some income to support their families, hence their involvement in small-scale groundnut oil processing and marketing.
4.1.4 Household size
The household sizes for the states, the zone and modern processors are also shown in Table 4.1. The household size of 6 to10 persons was the highest in all the states, with the highest percentage in Niger State (70%) and lowest in Nasarawa State (54%). This was followed by household size of one to five persons with the highest percentage in Nasarawa State (25%) and lowest in Niger State (11%). Other details are as shown in the Table. For both the traditional processors and small-scale modern processors in the zone, processors with six to ten persons per household were still dominant with 61.71% and 58.83%, respectively. The average household sizes for the states were eight persons for Nasarawa State, seven persons for Benue State and eight persons per household for Niger State. The maximum household size for traditional processors in the zone was 25 persons per household and the minimum was one, with a mean of eight persons per household.
For modern processors, household size of six to ten persons was the highest with 58%. Their maximum household size was nineteen persons per household, and a minimum of three persons with a mean of 7.5 ≈ 8 persons. Household size is important because it provides cheap and available labour in traditional processing especially in groundnut roasting, polishing, and cake moulding and frying. This result agrees with findings of Otitoju & Arene (2010), that households of farmers in Benue State in North Central Nigeria had an average household size of seven persons.
4.1.5 Educational level of processors
For the traditional processors (Table 4.1) those with less than three years of formal education were more, with 72% in Nasarawa State and 53% in Benue. This was followed by those with 4 – 6 years (primary education) with 51% in Niger State. The highest average years of education was in Niger State with 6.4 years and the lowest in Nasarawa State with two years. The average for North Central Nigeria was four years of formal education. This showed that most traditional processors only attempted primary education which may explain why they have remained at that level of processing.
For the modern processors, those in the range of 13years and above of formal education were the highest with 47%, followed by those with 7-9 years of formal education (41%). The average years of education for modern processors were thirteen years; the maximum was eighteen years and the minimum was four years. This implied that modern processors of groundnut oil were more educated than the traditional processors. This implied too that education had positive effect on the level of investment in processing, consequent upon access to modern processing technology, information and risk bearing abilities.
4.1.6 Cooperative participation
The result in Table 4.1 indicated that majority of traditional processors did not belong to any processing co-operative organization. They were 84% in Nasarawa State, 100% in Benue State and 93% in Niger State. For the zone, 91% did not belong to any co-operative organization. All (100%) of modern processors were not members of any processing and marketing co-operative. The implication is that the derivable benefits in co-operative organization are missed by these processors. Processing and product marketing experiences and information could not be shared. So also information concerning raw materials availability and processing technologies were not readily accessed by the processors. This in another perspective portrays the competitive nature of the industry in which processors acted independently in their processing and marketing decisions. However the processors requested to be assisted to form cooperatives and self-help organizations in their communities.
4.1.7 Years of experience
Table 4.1 also shows the processors’ years of experience in groundnut oil processing. Sixty percent were those with 11- 20 years experience and were found in Niger State; 45% in Nasarawa Sate and 28% in Benue State. They were the highest in the North Central zone with 45%. Those with 21 – 30 years and above of experience were fewer.
The average years of experience were 15 years in Nasarawa State, 13 years in Benue State and 12 years in Niger State. The average year of experience for the zone was 14 years, with the maximum being 35 and minimum one year. For the modern processors, those with 1 -10 years experience were 88.24% while those with 11 – 20 years had 11.96%. The average years of experience were 6.5 years. The maximum was 15 years and the minimum was two years. This indicated that years of experience were high enough for the processors to have acquired wealth of experiences to enable them carry on their processing and marketing activities effectively. Most of them actually learned the trade through experiences gathered from apprenticeship with their parents, neighbours or established processors
Table 4.1 Distribution of traditional and modern groundnut oil processors by socio-economic characteristics
Variable
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Nasarawa
N = 70
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Benue
N = 45
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Niger
N = 60
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North Central
N = 175
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Modern
N=17
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Freq (%)
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Freq (%)
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Freq (%)
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Freq (%)
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Freq (%)
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Age in years
21 – 30 16 (22.86) 17 (33.33) 6 (10) 39 (22.28) 1 (5.88)
31 – 40 32 (45.71) 9 (20.00) 34 (56.67) 75 (42.86) 8 (47.06)
41 – 50 17 (24.29) 11 (24.44) 19 (31.67) 47 (26.86) 7 (41.18)
51 – and above 5 (7.14) 8 (17.78) 1 (1.67) 14 (7.99) 1 (5.88)
Mean 38.34years 38.6years 37.9years 38.3years 41.2years
Max 60 65 55 65 58
Min 25 20 26 22 28
Gender
Male 6 (8.58) 1 (2.22) 2 (3.33) 9 (5.14) 15 (88.24)
Female 64 (91.42) 44 (97.78) 58 (96.67) 166 (94.86) 2 (11.76)
Marital Status
Married 67 (95.71) 43 (93.55) 58 (96.67) 169 (96.57) 17 (100)
Single 2 (2.86) 2 (4.44) 1 (1.67) 5 (2.86) 0 (0.00)
Widow 1 (1.43) 0 (22) 11 (1.0) 1 (0.57) 0 (0.00)
Household Size (No. of persons)
1 – 5 18 (25.71) 10 (22.22) 7 (11.67) 34 (19.43) 5 (29.41)
6 – 10 38 (54.29) 28 (62.22) 42 (70.00) 108 (61.71) 10 (58.83)
11 – 15 7 (10.00) 7 (15.55) 9 (15.0) 24 (13.7) 1 (5.88)
15 – and above 7 (10.00) 0 (00) 2 (3.33) 9 (5.14) 1 (5.88)
Mean(persons) 8.6 7.3 8.4 8 7.5
Max 25 12 20 25 19
Min 3 1 2 1 3
Education level (years)
1 – 3 51 (72.86) 24 (53.33) 11 (18.34) 86 (49.14) 1 (5.88)
4 – 6 16 (22.86) 8 (17.78) 31 (51.68) 53 (30.29) 1 (5.88)
7 – 9 2 (2.86) 5 (11.11) 4 (6.68) 11 (6.29) 7 (41.18)
10 – 12 2 (2.86) 7 (15.55) 14 (23.34) 23 (13.14) -
13 and above 1 (1.49) 1 (2.22) 0 2 (1.14) 8 (47.06)
Mean (years) 2.02 3.69 6.4 4 13
Max 12 14 12 14 18
Min 0 0 0 0 4
Co-operative participation
Yes 11 (15.171 0 (0.00) 4 (6.67) 15 (8.57) 0 (00)
No 59 (84.26) 45 (100) 56 (93.33) 160 (91.43) 17 (100)
Years of Experience
1 – 10 24 (34.29) 25 (55.55) 22 (36.67) 71 (40.57) 15 (88.24)
11 – 20 32 (45.71) 12 (26.66) 36 (60) 80 (45.71) 2 (11.76)
21 – 30 12 (17.14) 5 (11.11) 2 (3.33) 19 (10.86) - (0.00)
31 and above 2 (2.86) 3 (6.67) 0 (0.00) 5 (2.86) - (0.00)
Mean (years) 15.67 13.58 12.73 14.13 6.45
Max 35 35 25 35 15
Min 2 1 5 1 2
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Source: Computed from field survey data, 2010/2011
4.2 Groundnut Oil Processing, Marketing systems in the Study Area
In this study, the traditional and the small-scale modern processing methods were practiced. The traditional method applied some mechanical and modern methods in its activities; therefore, there may not be a purely traditional method of groundnut oil processing. Hence, a description of traditional and small-scale modern processing seemed more appropriate because all the operations were small-scale; though most modern groundnut oil processing activities were automated and processed larger quantities than the traditional methods. The major activities in groundnut oil processing industry, as in other agro-processing schemes, began with the procurement of raw groundnut from rural and urban markets and farmsteads. The raw groundnut was then transported to the processing sites for processing. The final stage was the marketing of the processed products. In this study the products marketed were groundnut oil (GNO) and groundnut cake (GNC). The groundnut oil processing chain is shown figure 4.1
The major buyers of GNO included traders, consumers, food processors, bakeries/catering firms, and oil processing and packaging companies. The major buyers of GNC from traditional processors were consumers, retailers and other traders from far north and eastern states; and food/meat processors such as the ‘suya’ steak meat roasters. The GNC from modern processors was sold entirely to the feed mills and poultry farms, and used for animal feeds only.
Fig 4.1: Groundnut oil processing chain in North Central Nigeria
Source: Computed from field survey data, 2010/2011
4.2.1 Procurement (traditional and modern)
This activity involved organizing the purchase and transportation of required raw groundnut from rural markets, urban markets, farm stead and other sources to the processing sites or mills. These sources were scattered in markets and locations within the local government areas, states and even outside the states. Hence, organizing and buying the needed quantity of raw groundnut for all year processing was very challenging especially for modern processors.
In this study, 81% of raw groundnuts procured by traditional processors in Nasarawa State was from farmers while 19% was from traders (Table 4.2). In Benue State, it was 51% from traders and 49% from farmers. Niger State was 55% from traders and 45% from farmers. For the North Central zone, 60% was obtained from farmers and 40% from traders, for traditional processing. For the modern mills, 94% of their entire groundnut came from traders and agents, while only 6% came from farmers directly.
The respective quantities and value of the groundnuts procured per state and the zone are also shown in Table 4.2. The highest quantity procured and processed by traditional processors was in Nasarawa State with 263kg/week valued at N36, 632. This was followed by Benue State with 100.5kg worth N16, 417. The least was in Niger State with 46.9kg valued at N5, 878. The maximum and minimum quantities procured are also shown in Table 4.2. The average quantity of groundnut procured by the traditional processors in the zone was 147kg worth N20, 889, while the modern processors procured an average of 6, 222kg per week valued at N897, 906. The maximum and minimum quantities procured by modern processors are also shown in the table.
Table 4.2 Statistical summary of activities of traditional and modern processors in North Central Nigeria
Variable
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Nasarawa
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Benue
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Niger
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NCN
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Modern
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Major source of G/nut
Farmers 57 (81%) 22 (49%) 27 (45%) 106 (60%) 1 (6%)
Traders 13 (19%) 23 (51%) 33 (55%) 69 (40%) 16 (94%)
Ave. quantity purchased (kg)/ wk
Mean 263.68 100.25 46.9 147.33 6222.363
Max 1680 350 7 1680 60000
Min 35 16.8 7 7 560
Value of G/nut per wk (N)
Mean 36, 632.14 16, 417.67 5, 878.17 20, 889.91 897, 906
Max 240, 000 65, 000 32, 400 240, 000 10, 285,716
Min 3, 500 3, 000 750 750 64, 000
Price of G/nut/kg per wk(N)
Mean 197.6 241 160 199 15, 197
Max 265 314 180 314 17, 000
Min 140 158 150 140 8, 000
Qty of GNO obtained/wk (251)
Mean 5.02 1.73 0.67 2.94 2436.28kg
Max 3.6 4.8 3.4 36 27000kg
Min 1.5 0.3 0.06 0.06 201.6
Qty of GNC obtained (basin)
Mean 9 3.36 2.34 4.39 2756.29kg
Max 38 11 7.3 38 30000kg
Min 2 1 0.3 0.3 300kg
Filtering oil
Yes 39 (56%) 14 (33%) 18 (30%) 71 (40%) 5 (30%)
No 31 (44%) 31 (67%) 42 (70%) 104 (60%) 12 (70%)
Additives/fortification
Yes 2 (3%) 0 (00%) 10 (17%) 12 (7%) 3 (18%)
No 68 (97%) 45 (100%) 50 (83%) 163 (93%) 14 (82%)
Adequate Electricity
Yes 15 (21%) 10 (22%) 18 (30%) 43 (25%) 0 (00%)
No 55 (79%) 35 (78%) 42 (70%) 132 (75%) 17 (100%)
GSM ownership
Yes 44 (63%) 40 (88%) 54 (90%) 138 (79%) 17 (100%)
No 26 (37%) 5 (12%) 6 (10%) 37 (21%) 0 (00%)
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25litre GNO = 25.2kg; 1basin of traditionally processed GNC = 22.6kg
Source: Computed from field survey data, 2010/2011
4.2.2 Traditional processing method
Pre-treatment of raw groundnut seed:-These were the activities carried out on the groundnut itself before oil extraction took place. These involved decorticating (shelling) the groundnut, if bought unshelled, cleaning, drying the groundnut, scorching/frying, polishing and then crushing into paste before feeding it into the oil expelling machine. Decorticators of various throughputs were used for shelling. Hand shelling was also done in some rural communities. The groundnut was further cleaned to remove any leftover shell, stones and other impurities. It was further dried to enhance scorching/roasting process.
The frying/scorching process in the traditional method was done manually. This required the following equipment: local oven made of clay or a tripod of stones, frying pan, trays, stirrers and pebbles to mix with the groundnut, and firewood to provide the heat. Frying was done lightly to enhance polishing. This process brought out the desired aroma in the oil and cake which was preferred and consumed by people, commonly referred to as the aromatic roasted peanut oil and cake. The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) Ahmadu Bello University has designed some simple manually operated roasters and expellers, that are also commonly used (IAR, undated).
Polishing is the removal of the testa (skin of the groundnut) from the scorched groundnut. In this study, all the traditional processors used the polishing machine for this purpose, which were just the normal hammer mills. The machines were reset not to crush or grind the groundnut, but to loosen the testa for easy winnowing. This process was done at cost per quantity polished. The processors paid the owner of the mill for the service an average of N67 per bag (Table 4.9). This machine can be acquired at a cost of between N30, 000 and N50, 000; most of which were diesel/petrol engine driven due to unavailable electricity, even though the electric motor driven machines were more efficient and did cleaner jobs than the diesel and petrol engine driven machines.
Crushing/Pasting: This involved crushing the groundnut into paste to enhance oil removal. The roasted and polished groundnut was blended in the milling machines which were similar to those used in polishing, except for the adjustment in the grinding unit, this time to mill the groundnut into paste.
Oil extraction: For extraction of the oil, the paste was fed into drum-like machine with a central shaft that spun. As the machine spun, oil gathered and was collected. In some designs, there were grooves through which the oil was collected. The oil was collected into containers while the cake was also removed preparatory to frying.
Though electric driven machines were preferred because of more efficiency and better jobs, diesel/petrol machines were prevalent due to inadequate and irregular electricity supply. Most of these machines ran as contract mills providing polishing, crushing and expelling services to processors and not getting involved in other aspects of the processing. These machines could cost up to N70, 000 on the average. The oil obtained was normally used to fry the cake. This also reduced the moisture content of the oil after which it was packaged for sale.
Cake moulding/frying: The cake in this method was moulded into different shapes and sizes for frying. Additional labour was always required for moulding cake. The smaller the size of the cake the better the fry level and this stored best. After moulding the cake, it was fried-dry in frying pans over the oven for some minutes in the oil, after which it was cooled off and packaged for the market.
4.2.3 Modern processing method
In this method, large capacity expellers and oil press machines were used, though the activities were automated and large quantities of groundnut could be processed within a short time period. The principle was similar to the traditional method except for the scale and level of automation which also varied depending on the machine type and capacity. In this study, two major levels of modern processing existed. These were the single unit machines and the large systems of machines. The single unit machines had capacities ranging from 0.5 tonnes of groundnut (GN) per day to 10 tonnes per day. In this set up, some pre – treatment such as heating and steaming were done before feeding the groundnut into the expeller. Groundnut was crushed and oil expelled through a unit and the cake through the other opening in the machine. The oil was collected into drums and the cake was also packed for sale. In some types, no frying or steaming of the groundnut was done, hence the oil and cake came out raw. In this method, the oil is referred to as cold press peanut oil. The cake from this unit was only used for animal feed. The oil was further heated for 30minutes and salted before packing into 25 litre containers. The machines and equipment required were electric motor or diesel generators, oil expeller, drums, shovel, funnels, and plastic rubber containers. The common expeller model is the 105 Golden Star of 5 – 10 horse power.
In the large, fully automated processing mills, all operations were mechanized. Some had capacities to process groundnut and soya beans, and could process up to 10 tonnes or more of the raw materials per day. In this method, the groundnut with shell or seed/shell was fried in the cooker, moved to steamer (smaller cookers), then through the conveyors to the expellers, where the oil was extracted. The oil dropped on another conveyor and was conveyed to the filter tank. It was then moved to the batch refiner and finally to the storage tanks and sold. The cake was conveyed via the cake elevator to the hopper from where it was bagged.
The GNO in this method was further checked for free fatty acid (FFA), and moisture content (MC). If high, further refining was done to bring the MC to 0.02. If the free fatty acid (FFA) was high it was also refined to the required level. Vitamin A and iodine were also added to meet market standard. In this process the refined groundnut oil was gotten. The oil was then sold to buyers who were GNO packaging firms or manufacturers or traders. The cake was also sold to animal feed firms or animal farms. The price per kg of the cake depended on the crude protein content.
Equipment used in this type of processing included boilers to supply the heating, big cookers, small cookers, expellers, conveyors, several motors, storage tanks, refiners, flakers, softeners, crushers, and dis-stoner. Processing mills bought and stored their raw materials (groundnut) to last till the next harvest season.
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