Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the Problems and Prospects of Establishing Small Scale Garri Processing Factory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. To achieve the objectives of the study, research questions were set to guide the study. Two stage sampling technique was used in the data collection exercise. The first stage involved the random selection of five communities from the list of ten communities that make up of Uyo Local Government Area. The second stage was the random selection of ten cassava processors into garri from the list of cassava processors into garri in these five communities collected from Uyo L.G.A. headquarters with the assistance of the extension agents. This gave a sample size of 50 respondents.
Problems and Prospects of Establishing Small Scale Garri Processing Factory
Structured questionnaire was used in eliciting relevant data. Descriptive statistical tools such as frequencies and percentages and multiple regression analysis were used in analyzing the data. Results showed that the cassava processors into garri were young, well educated. They were also well experienced in the art of cassava tuber processing into garri. Results of regression analysis indicated that sizes of enterprises, level of education, production costs and processing experience were the significant variables influencing the maximized gross margin of the cassava processors into garri in Uyo L.G.A. of Akwa Ibom State. It is therefore recommended that credit facilities be liberalized and skewed in favour of well educated and experienced cassava processors to enable them increase the sizes of their enterprises. Further research should be carried out to produce cost saving technologies in the cassava processing industry in Uyo and other local government areas in Akwa Ibom State and in Nigeria as a whole.
1.1 Background to the Study
Gari is the most common and forms the main meal of the day for majority of people in most of the West African countries, while Nigeria and Brazil taking the lead. The production technology and tools are now high developed in cassava processing industry. Gari is a pre-gelatinized grit with particle size ranging from below 10µm to over 2000µm, fine and coarse respectively (Nwankpa, 2010). Gari flying is a simultaneous cooking and dehydrating operation; the product is first cooked with the moisture in it and then dehydrated. The moisture content of dewatered and sieved cassava mash is between 50 to 65 percent that has to be reduced to about 12% after the frying (Samuel and Adetifa, 2012).
Problems and Prospects of Establishing Small Scale Garri Processing Factory
In recent times International trade in agricultural products and food is increasingly shifting towards high-value products. Value addition in agriculture is a process of increasing the economic value and consumer appeal of raw agricultural commodities. It is a marketing strategy that requires a better understanding of the rapidly changing consumer preferences in the food industry as well as their safety needs. Value addition entails taking any product from one level of use to the next. There are very few items that a Nigerian smallholder farmer at the prevailing level of technology can produce and sell profitably at the farm gate.
