Folks,
this is a truism. Virtually all households eat rice at least two times in a
week in Nigeria. What this simply implies is that investment in rice is a big
business. So, investors can start looking the way of investing in the packaging
of local rice now that the government has placed ban on the importation of
foreign rice into the country. Rice is one of the most consumed food in Nigeria
and some other countries. However, we have 2 major type of rice and they are
white rice and brown rice.
White
rice contains high amount of carbohydrates which is not healthy for individuals
struggling with weight loss and diabetics and better choice for healthy eating
and this white rice is the one imported into the country.
Brown
rice however has enormous benefits and some of them are:
The immerse presence
of soluble fibre makes it a better choice for controlling blood sugar for a
diabetic patient.
It is rich in
manganese and this reduces the severity of asthma.
It is rich in
antioxidants which has tremendous health benefits.
It lowers high blood pressure;
prevent stroke and heart attack and many more.
The
focus however is how investors can make money in packaging Ofada rice which is
brown rice both for local and international market. With more Nigerians living
in diapora, you will definitely record a good return on investment.
Packaging
is an interesting aspect of rice production and you don’t really need to go
into farming of the rice. However you can either do the milling yourself or
take it to the commercial milling operators and all you need to do is just the
packaging.
However
below is the process which will grant you the success you desired:
MILLING
The process
involves the following: Pre-cleaning, Dehusking, Paddy removal, Polishing or
whitening Grading and separation of white rice
MIXING
Mist
polishing, Weighing of rice, Bagging of rice
RESEARCH
Do
your research and know about the rice milling and packaging business. Get your
hands on the available documents you can get that can help you in the business.
If you have a rice milling factory in your area, visit the place to know the
mode of operation and some equipment. The knowledge will give you a clear
picture of what you need and expect from the business.
BUSINESS PLAN
The
business plan should contain all the money required to buy and set up the
business, a number of people you intend to hire, profit and loss analysis, cash
flow analysis and the projected rice mill business. The business plan is what
will keep you on track when you want to deviate from the business goals. It
also is another document that you can use to attract investors.
FUNDING
Since
you know the money you need for capital and recurrent expenditure, then you can
begin sourcing for the money that you can use to finance the rice packaging
business. You can ask family and friends, look for investors or loan to finance
the business. Using your business plan, it becomes easier to convince investors
to build the business.
LOCATION
Get
the land you intend to build your rice mill and packaging factory. The location
should be in a place that will be easily accessible to both young and old. The
land should have enough space for sun drying the rice, setting up the rice mill
and storage place. You’ll need to put a structure that should have a place for
drying and storing, a place where the process of rice mill takes place. Create
a section where you can receive customers and sell your item.
EQUIPMENT
In the
rice milling business, you’ll have to get some equipment in other to carry on the
process of rice milling successfully. Some of the modern rice milling machines
are: Rice cleaning machine, Rice de-stoner machine, Paddy husker machine, Rice
color sorter, Paddy separator machine, Rice whitener machine, Rice polishing
machine, Grading machine, Grain dryer, Measure and packing machine, Rice
milling detection machine, Lighting equipment. Most of the equipment are
durable and stands the test of time. Some of the equipment can be fabricated.
The fabricated one will be less expensive compared to the real one. However you
will need to be sure that the fabricated machine will do the work it is meant
to be else, it will amount to waste of money.
BUSINESS
REGISTRATION
Register
a business name with the Corporate
Affairs Commission (CAC) to give you a unique identity. Once you build a
reputation, it’s your name that will keep singing a good song. It also prevents
other business from stealing your identity. Besides registration with the CAC,
you may need to get all necessary certification from agencies like NAFDAC, SON and other state
authorities.
EMPLOYEES
It is
important to hire good hands to work for you. In rice milling and packaging
business one important factor to consider when hiring people is their
experience. This will ease the stress going through the process of training
before commencing operation. It is important to hire both technicians and
administrators. The technicians are responsible for operating and maintenance
of the machines. While the administrators do the paperwork on a daily basis.
RAW MATERIAL
The
rice milling business success will be on how you maintain production all year
round. Getting raw materials from guaranteed sources is really important. You
can buy rice from farmers or using the farmers market.
PRODUCTION
By
now, you must have everything in place. You can go ahead and begin production.
Packaging is really important. In other to get people to notice your product in
the marketplace, you will need to package your product in a customised sack or
other packaging materials. Attractive designs help in marketing. However, you
can hire a graphic design firm to do the designs for you.
PRICES
Set
your packaged rice prices. The price should be competitive to attract
customers. You can do a market research to know the prices in the market before
setting your own. But you have to make sure it covers all expenses and brings
profit. The prices for suppliers should be different from consumers.
MARKETING
Create
awareness for your packaged rice using social media, television and radio
adverts, and print media to pass the message. Do a road show, hold raffle draw
to attract and further expose your products. Build your chain of distributors.
You can build a chain of distributors who can help sell your products by giving
incentives them.
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