Inside Rinji sweet potato processing factory

The factory, established by Fadama 3 in the state, takes the huge chunk of sweet potato produced in the state while the few  quantity left get sold to other consumers.A sweet potato farmer in Tilde, a neighbouring community, Malam Isa Adamu, told this reporter that he has now increased his potato production because the factory […]

The factory, established by Fadama 3 in the state, takes the huge chunk of sweet potato produced in the state while the few  quantity left get sold to other consumers.
A sweet potato farmer in Tilde, a neighbouring community, Malam Isa Adamu, told this reporter that he has now increased his potato production because the factory guarantees market for his produce, adding: “Anytime you want to sell your potato, just take it to the factory and you are sure of returning home with your money.”  
A major potato farmer in Gumau town of Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Alhaji Salihu Musa Rimi, said the entire LGA is good for the production of both Irish and sweet potatoes because it has the same weather and shares similar ecology with neighbouring Plateau State.
“Since I retired from the civil service in 2003, I returned home to commence sweet potato farming. I have two different potato farms covering a total of nine hectares in this village. I supply all the produce of my farm to a dealer in Benin, Edo State, Mr Idalor Otumudia who in turn supplies to his customers in Delta and Rivers states.
“I am not registered with the Fadama farmers that own the sweet potato processing plant you visited in Rinjin Gaini. I have never supplied them my produce but I am indirectly benefiting from the plant.
“My Edo customer, Otumudia was buying sweet potatoes from four of us. The three others are now selling their produce to the processing plant.
“By implication, I am the only one supplying him now. I have already increased the cost of my produce because the plant is now serving as a major up-taker to most potato farmers in the state and that has made the price of potatoes to appreciate. What Otumudia has done now is to stop coming here to buy, instead, he will phone me to waybill the consignment to him and he pays me through the bank,” he said.
Alhaji Rimi said he has acquired additional farmland for the production of more sweet potatoes since there is guaranteed market for it with the existence of the processing factory in Rinji Gaini.   
At the factory, the processor, Malam Rabiu Garba, told this reporter that large quantity of sweet potato is processed, daily, and sold to consumers or sent to the Fadama farmers shop in Bauchi where the product is marketed.
Explaining the source of their raw materials, Garba said: “We cultivate sweet potato in our individual farms that we use as raw material. We also buy from other farmers that are not necessarily our members. At glut time, we buy in bulk and process.”
On how the process is done at the factory, he said: “After harvest, we classify the potato into two-the ones that are matured and strong enough we keep them on one side. They are the ones we value most because they produce more flour. Then the soft ones that are not too strong are put on another side.  
“When we transfer potato from the farm to the processing centre, we wash them thoroughly and dry them. When they are dried, we peal them. We wash and dry them again. This is because we are sun-drying them as we do not have oven dryer yet. When the potato is dried for the second time, we move them to the factory.
“We grind the dried potato very well to produce the powder. We sieve the powder twice to make sure it is soft before packaging. We are producing the powder in 1.5 kilogrammes pack.
“Majority of the work done in the factory is manual because none of the machines we are using here is automated. That gives us the opportunity to always employ women and youth to do most of the work for us. In addition to supplying our products to the Fadama farmers shop in Bauchi for sale, people come here to buy and sell as well.”
Has this value chain addition increased sales in anyway? Garba answered: “It is true we are making more sales with the value addition compared to when we were into the production and sell of potato. Even potato farmers in the state are happier now because they make more money with the value addition and they are now sure of good market for their produce. A bag of potato that costs N400 before the establishment of this centre is now N600.
“Farmers contributed 25 percent of the total cost for setting up this centre while Fadama 3 contributed the remaining 75 percent and the centre is being run by the farmers. The farmers union running the factory has an account that buys potatoes from farmers, pay them and process it. Sometimes we buy farms even before harvest.”
He said sweet potato powder is used to make danwake, cake, kunu, juice and soap.
He said potato farmers have been taught how to make these foods and soap, adding that there are more people now producing these delicacies.
Hauwa Musa is a food vendor in Wunti area of Bauchi, the state capital. She told this reporter that she has more people now patronising her restaurant because of the kunu and cake she produce from sweet potato flour.
“A lot of people like the product of the sweet potato flour because apart from the fact that it is produced under very hygienic condition, sweet potato is naturally sweet and appetising. I am now considering the possibility of better packaging my kunu in cans.