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Yam Processing in Nigeria

Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. There are many cultivars of yam though only six are important as staples in the tropics. The economically important species grown are Dioscorea rotundata (white yam), Dioscorea alata (yellow yam), Dioscorea bulbifera (aerial yam), Dioscorea esculenta (Chinese yam) and Dioscorea dumenterum (trifoliate yam). Yams are high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in saturated fat and sodium.

 

Worldwide yam production in 2007 amounted to 52 million tons, of which Africa produced 96%. Most of the world’s production comes from West Africa representing 94%, with Nigeria alone producing 71%, equalling more than 37 million tons. Though yams can be stored up to six months without refrigeration most of the yearly production is lost through spoilage because of lack of post-harvest facility in the country.

In Nigeria, though yams can be consumed by boiling, roasting and processed to yield Amala (especially in the South western part of the country), it can also be processed into the production of instant yam flour.

 

The traditional method of making pounded yam which requires physical pounding with mortar and pestle is very laborious and in some cases unhygienic. The increasing number of middle class family and the rise in health consciousness amongst the populace is making the traditional way of processing pounded yam in Nigeria fast becoming a thing of the past as more and more family are shifting from the use of mortar and pestle to ready processed yam to be used for pounded yam production.

 

The process of producing instant yam flour is quite simple; it involves slicing, parboiling, drying and milling of the product to yield flour. The machinery and equipment required for production can be sourced locally or from abroad, and they include;

• Yam slicer
• Yam parboiler
• Hammer mill with cyclone
• Industrial nylon sealing machine
• Weighing machine.

 

The production process is highlighted below;

Yam selection; fresh harvested yam gotten from the farm are sorted to select whole-some tubers that are suitable for the production of instant pounded yam flour. Usually the mature white varieties of yam are most suitable.

• Weighing; the selected yam is weighed properly
• Washing; the yam tubers are washed properly in order to get rid of sand and other extraneous materials.
• Peeling and slicing; the washed yam tubers are peeled and then sliced to desired thickness.
• Parboiling; the sliced yam are then put into boiling water over a period of time depending on the thickness of the slices.
• Drying; the parboiled yam slices are dried in a dryer at a specified drying temperature and time.
• Milling; the dried yam slices are milled directly into flour of uniform particle size.
• Packaging; the instant pounded yam flour is the finally packaged in moisture proof nylon bags.

 

Raw materials, supplies and inputs

The only raw material required for the production of instant pounded yam flour is yam tubers. Nigeria has an abundant supply of yam, especially in the middle belt, south west (Oyo, Ondo and Osun states) and some parts in the North and Eastern Nigeria. The major item of supplies is the packaging materials. Other supplies required include; factory wears (overall, hand gloves, factory shoes, nose masks), disinfectants e.t.c. Electricity, diesel (for generator and project truck) and water are the major utilities required for a smooth production of instant pounded yam flour. http://agriculturenigeria.com/agro-processing/processing-of-crops/yam-processing

 

Yam Flour Buyers

Yam Chukstracy Import and Export CC	No. 31 Pretoria Street Hillbrow J.H.B South Africa Phone: +27,11,4845118 Mobil: +27,731260532, +27,732195263 [email protected]	We import West African foods into South Africa. Our imports include gari, fresh yams, palm oil, egusi, ogbolo, achi, and more.
Grace Bee Ventures Ltd	6 Alhaji Bashiru Street, Ojodu P.O. Box 9483, Ikeja. Lagos NIGERIA	Specializing in production, processing and packaging of hygienically-processed African foods, including gaari, raw plantain, raw yam tubers and many different types of flour.
Yem Africa	Ul.Polna 1-13,00-633 Warsaw, Poland Tel/Fax:+48-22-3310892	Wholesale and retail market of African and Caribbean foods. Their products include yam, plantain, egusi, drinks and alcohol from Nigeria such as palm wine, Star, and herbal teas.
Motherland African Foods Market	80 West Grand Ave. Suite 124 Corona, CA 92882 (951) 280-0222	This market is recommended by a patron. They sell all sorts of African foods including yams, palm oil, chin-chin, egusi and more. The owner’s wife also has a hair and makeup business and does African styles and head-wraps (gele).
Eniola Stores	8888 Dyer St, Ste 517 El Paso, TX 79904 (915) 319-7167 [email protected]	We are an African & Carribean store selling items such as gari, pounded yam, plantain, elubo (yam flour), crawfish, egusi (melon seed), african artifacts, cosmetics, phone cards, home videos, and more.
Hong Kong Market	Visit them in Dallas or Arlington! 1816 East Pioneer Parkway Arlington, TX 76010 (817)265-1488 Fax: (817)459-2345   9780 Walnut St. Suite 360 Dallas, TX. 75243 (972)437-9888 Fax: (972)231-9818	This Oriental market has an aisle dedicated to African foods. You can find egusi, bitter leaves, yams, tropical fruits, cassava, pounded yam mix and drinks.
Kantomanto African Market	Address: 495 Havana Street, Aurora, CO 80010-4318 Tel: 303-360-7200	Carrying many different African foods and drinks.
Habshin International Limited	Person to Contact = Lawal Sulaimon Address = 2 Ijaodankan Street Station Makun City, State & ZIP = Sagam,Ogun State, 23437 Country = Nigeria Phone = 2348035384938 FAX = Email = [email protected] Web Page Address = http://www.habshininternationallimited.4t.com/	What We Offers/Produced: CEREALCROPS:Maize,Rice,Millet,GuineaCorn,Wheat,Oats,e.t.c. LEGUMES OR PULSES: Cowpea,Soya Beans,Groundnut, e.t.c. ROOT AND TUBER CROPS :Yam,Cassava,Potatoes,Cocoyam,Carrots, e.t.c. FRUITS: Oranges,Pineaple,Mango,Cashew, e.t.c. BEVERAGE CROPS: Cocoa,Coffee, e.t.c. SPICES: Ginger,Pepper,Onion, e.t.c OIL CROPS: Oil Palm,Groundnut,Mellon,Coconut,Soya Bean, e.t.c. FIBRE: Cotton,Sisal, e.t.c. VEGETABLE: Tomatoes,Amarthus,Onion,Okro, e.t.c. LATEX CROPS: Rubber. We also supply various servises to companies. LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY We have domestick livestock such as Goat,Sheep,Cattle,Pigs,Rabbits, e.t.c.Our Poultry product are Turkeys,Guinea Folw,Ducks,Ostrich, e.t.c. FISHERIES
Success Order Nigeria Limited	Person to Contact = Chukwuemeka Okezie Address = #13 Oshogbo Street, Ijesha, Surulere, Lagos City, State & ZIP = 234 Country = Nigeria Phone = 234-8033942348 FAX = 234- 01-4526926 Email = [email protected]	ginger, garlic, shea butter, potatoes, yam, dried pepper, wood charcoal, available in large quantities ready for sale

 

 

 

 

Mazak Optonics Corporation	140 East State Parkway Schaumburg Illinois 60173 Attn:mr.F.Spikerman
One Source American Inc	8950 Old Annepolis Rd#223 Ph Columbia Md 21045
Phoenix International Freight	Services Ltd.(Chi) 855 N Il Route 83(Busse Road) Bensenville Il 60106-1219 T:+1-630-2747950 F:+1-630-2747945
Phoenix Intl Freight Svcs Ltd-cn	855 North Illinois Route 83 Bensenville Il 60106 Us 6302747950
Sam Jin World Trading Inc	64-99 Brooklyn Terminal Market Broo Klyn Ny 11234 U.S.A.
Eduardono International Corp Cra	43a No.1 Sur 186 Of 911 Medellin Y/O Zona Franca Almaviva Calle 29 No. 27-05 Cartagena Tel No. 57-5- 6694970 Fax No. 57-5-6694746@
Expeditors Canada Inc Yvr	13700 International Place Suite 230 Richmond Bc V6v 2×8 Canada
Falfpellassa	Almacen No.122 De Casa Pellas Managua,nicaragua
Fuji Oil Vegetable Oil Inc	120 Brampton Road, Savannah,ga 31408 Usa
Winez International Inc	8700 Nw 101st St Medley Fl 33178 Usa

http://21stplacelive.com/Yam%20buyers.htm

click here to find more Yam buyers https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/NG/yam-buyers-supplier.html

 

World Production and Trade

Most of the world production of yam is from Africa (about 96%) with Nigeria alone accounting for nearly 75% of the total world production. World annual production was estimated to be 25 million Mt in 1974, and 24 million Mt in 1992. During the past 5 years, total world production has increased from 32.7 million Mt in 1995 to 37.5 million Mt in 2000. Also during this period, export quantity declined slightly while export income remained fairly steady. During the period 1975-90, total yam cultivated area increased by about 38.8% globally, while the total production increased by 45.8%. However, the importance of yam in the economy of the main producing areas appears be declining due partly to competition with other crops like cassava in Nigeria, and taro in the South Pacific (Opara, 1999). The major producing areas have also continued to experience high population growth rates. During the last four decades, the annual growth rate (%) of per capita production in the major yam zones in Africa has declined (Dorosh, 1988).

 

 

Primary product

Yams are mainly grown for direct human consumption and are marketed as fresh produce in all the growing regions. Common methods of preparation include boiling, baking or frying. Boiled and baked yam can be eaten with vegetable sauce or palm oil. Boiled yam can also be pounded or mashed in mortar and eaten as „fufu‟ or „utara‟. Commercially food processing equipment for boiling and mashing of yam into fufu at the press of a button are now available in the market. Yam cultivars, which contain toxic substances such as dioscorene, are first sliced and soaked in salt water for several hours before further processing for consumption.

 

Secondary and derived product

Yam tubers are also processed into several food products such as the yam flour, which are enjoyed in many parts of the tropics. Industrial processing and utilisation of yam includes starch, poultry and livestock feed, and production of yam flour.

 

Requirements for export and quality assurance

There are no specific standards for yam export, but intending exporters must seek information on the quality and phytosanitary regulations of the importing country as well as the product specifications required by the importer. As a guide, exporters should apply the general requirements for the International OECD Quality Standard (Opara, 2001) which issues such as minimum requirements, quality requirements, sizing, tolerance and packaging. These should be interpreted to assist in meeting the specifications agreed with the importer.

 

Consumer Preferences

There are considerable consumer preferences for the different yam varieties among the growing regions. White-fleshed yams which have firm texture (mainly D. rotundata) are the most popular in West Africa, while in the South Pacific, D. alata cultivars (water yam, white purplish with loose watery texture) are most common (Opara, 1999). Consumer preferences might account for some of the predominance of certain cultivars in some region, in addition to agro-climatological impacts on the growing attributes of the species. In parts of West Africa, yams, which have loose texture, are often mixed with gari and pounded with gari to prepare fufu of „soft‟ texture.

 

 

 

Post-Production Operations

Pre-harvest Operations

Maturity assessment is critical to achieving good quality yam. In the field, mature crop is generally distinguishable by cessation of vegetative growth and yellowing of leaves. The period from planting or field emergence to maturity is variable depending on the species, and there is no standard reliable and objective index of yam tuber maturity. Some crude indices have been reported based on percentage of tuber length that was whitish at harvest, non-friable after cooking, or bitter after cooking (Onwueme, 1977). The most frequently reported measure is the period from planting to harvest (growing period), but it has been suggested that the time from emergence to maturity provides a better measure of growing period since planted tuber can remain dormant for some time (Onwueme and Charles, 1994).

 

Time from planting to maturity and yield for different yams species.
Species/Common name	Period from planting to maturity	Yield and size of tubers
D. alata Water yam	220-300 days	20-25 t.ha-1 1-3 tubers per plant 5-10 kg per tuber
D. Bulbifera Potato yam	140-180 days; 90-120 days	Aerial: 2-15 t.ha-1 ; 3-5 t.ha-1 Underground: 2-8 t.ha-1
D. Cayenensis Yellow yam	280-350 days	30 t.ha-1 2 kg per tuber (mean) 7-10 kg per tuber (highest)
D. Dumentorum Bitter yam	240-300 days	> those of most other cultivated West Africa yams
D. esculenta Lesser yam	200-300 days	7-20 t.ha-1 25-35 t.ha-1 (exceptional) 5-20 tubers per plant
D. Opposita Chinese yam	24 weeks	4-6 t.ha-1
D. rotundata White yam	200-330 days	16-20 t.ha-1
D. trifida Cush-cush yam	280-330 days	15-20 t.ha-1
Source: (Opara, 1999).

 

Most edible yams reach maturity in 8-11 months after planting. Techniques such as using physiologically aged planting material, pre-sprouting of setts, application of sproutpromoting substances (e.g. ethephon and 2-chloroethanol and harvesting before complete shoot senescence can decrease the during of field dormancy and thereby reduce the length period from emergence to maturity (Onwueme, 1977; Gregory, 1968; Martin et al., 1974). In many parts of West African yam zone, mature yams are harvested at the end of the rainy season or early part of the dry season, which coincides with the end of vegetative growth. Yams for long-term storage (for marketing or seed) are usually harvested during the harmattan period (Dec-Jan) in many parts of southeastern Nigeria when the crops has attained maximum growth and maturity. During this period, the soil is generally hard and tuber breakage during harvesting can be an economical problem.

 

Transport & Packaging

After harvest, yam tubers are traditionally placed into woven baskets made from parts of the palm tree or coconut fronds. These are ideal for transporting small quantity of tubers over short walking distances. The basket is carried on the head, shoulder, or tied to a bicycle and transported to the market or storage facility. Compression damage is reduced since the basket is able to bend and thereby reduce the amount of force acting on individual tubers. However, when large quantities of tuber are harvested, these baskets are not suitable because of their limited size. Packaging tubers in full telescopic fibreboard cartons with paper wrapping or excelsior reduces bruising and enables large quantity of tuber to be transported over long distances. Tubers can be contained in loose packs, or units of 11 kg and 23 kg (McGregor, 1987). The cartons are hand-loaded or unitised on pallets. Storing yams in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has beneficial effects, particularly using appropriate packaging material with suitable size and number) of holes for gas permeation. Sealing yam tubers in polyethylene film bags reduced storage losses due to weight loss and development of necrotic tissue (Table 5). Coating tubers with Epolene E10 (a commercial vegetable wax improved the appearance quality but there was no effect on levels of fungal infection (Thompson et al., 1977). The effect of this treatment on weight loss of tuber was inconsistent.

 

 

Effects of packaging material on the quality of D. trifida after 64 days at 20-29°C and 46-62% rh. Fungal score was 0 = no surface fungal growth, 5 = tubers surface entirely covered with fungi. Necrotic tissue was estimated on the total cut surface of length way halves.
Type of package	Weight loss (%)	Fungal score	Necrotic tissue (%)
Paper bags	23.6	0.2	5
Polyethylene bags with 0.15% of the area as holes	15.7	0.2	7
Sealed 0.03 mm thick polyethylene bags	5.4	0.4	4
Source: (Thompson et al., 1977).

 

Curing of Yam Tuber

Curing of root crops allows tuberization of surface injuries and reduces subsequent weight loss and rotting in root crops. Curing of yams is recommended before storage so as to “heal” any physical injury, which may have occurred during harvesting and handling. This can be accomplished under tropical ambient conditions or in a controlled environment. Traditionally, yams are cured by drying the tubers in the sun for a few days. The optimum conditions for curing are 29°-32°C at 90-96% rh for 4-8 days (McGregor, 1987). Tubers cured at higher temperature (40°C) for 24 hours or treated with gamma radiation at 12.5 krads were free of mold and had least losses during subsequent storage. Storing at 15°C with prompt removal of sprouts was found to improve the eating quality of tubers (Coursey, 1967), presumably due the water loss associated with curing and the inhibition of the biochemical synthesis that accompany sprouting.

 

Cleaning

Prior to long-term storage and marketing, yams are cleaned (without water) by scrapping off soil and other debris on the surface. A knife or piece of stick is usually used. The root „hairs‟ are also removed to so that the tuber has a smooth surface. Water must not be used to clean tubers before storage because of increased susceptibility to microbial infection and growth under the ambient humid storage conditions. http://www.fao.org/3/a-ax449e.pdf

 

Proper packaging and handling

The ideal in packaging is to protect the produce from damage during handling, transport and storage and to provide containers of uniform size that are conveniently stacked and handled, easily accounted for in quantity and, where appropriate, in weight.

In many developing countries traditional baskets, and various types of trays or buckets are used for transporting produce to the house or to village markets. These are usually of low cost, made from readily available material and serve the purpose for transport over short distances. But, they have many disadvantages in large loads carried over long distances:

• they are difficult to clean when contaminated with decay organisms;
• they often lack rigidity and distort when stacked thus applying severe local pressure to their contents
• they are frequently very variable in shape and therefore are difficult to load, especially for long journeys.
• being of local manufacture they are often rather crude and may have sharp edges or splinters causing cuts and punctures to the commodity.

 

Many authorities have observed that produce being transported and marketed in commercial quantities needs better packaging in appropriately sized units if losses are to be minimised and to achieve economical use of transport. The shape of packages is significant because of need to load for maximum capacity and stability. Round baskets, whether cylindrical or tapered, hold considerably less produce than boxes occupying the same cubic space; a cylindrical basket contains only 78.5% by volume compared with a rectangular box occupying the same space on a vehicle.

However, packaging can be a major item of expense in produce marketing, especially in developing countries where packaging industries are not well developed. The selection of suitable containers for commercial scale marketing requires very careful consideration. Among the various types of packaging material that are available¹, natural and synthetic fibre sacks and bags as well as moulded plastic boxes seem to be more suitable and have greater promise for packaging roots and tubers and for their transport to distant markets

Including sawn wooden boxes, cardboard boxes, moulded plastic boxes, paper or plastic film sacks, natural or synthetic fibre bags.

 

 

 

 

Control of Temperature

Temperature has a great influence on many factors that cause loss during storage. It is the single most important factor affecting the rate of respiration, it also influences the rate of sprout growth, the development of rotting micro-organisms and insect infestation. Figure 4.8 illustrates the effect of different temperature regimes on the storage of potatoes. At 10°C, the rates of sprout development, rotting and respiration are shown to be moderate but at 4°C, sprouting is stopped, while rotting and respiration continue but at very low levels.

With the exception of highland areas, low temperature storage in the tropics within the range 10° to 15°C can only be envisaged by using a refrigeration process of some kind. At subsistence or small farmer level this is generally not practical because of cost implications and the technical support needed to sustain conventional refrigeration technology. Only in very dry areas is simple evaporative cooling at all successful but even this simple technology needs a prime mover to be operating almost continuously. Therefore, successful storage of roots and tubers in any sort of structure depends very much on natural ventilation to remove respiration heat, to remove carbon dioxide, which in concentration can lead to the breakdown of dormancy, and to keep the temperature of the crop as low as possible. Ventilation should be with the coolest possible air, night time ventilation is not only the coolest but has the highest relative humidity, so that water loss through transpiration is also held to a minimum. http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5415e/x5415e03.htm#TopOfPage.

 

Constraints to Yam Production

The problems faced by farmers in yam production in the area include lack of adequate farm inputs (50%), high costs of hired labour (83.3%) and lack of improved seed yam (66.7%). This conforms with the findings of Rueben and Barau (2012) and Sanusi and Salimonu (2006) which listed the same variables as constraints to yam production in Taraba and Oyo States respectively. Others constraints faced by the farmers are lack of extension services (100%), inadequate fund (95%) and the problems of diseases and pests among others.

 

Constraints in yam production
Lack of inadequate inputs	30	50
High cost labour cost	50	83.3
Inadequate fund	57	95
Weather (climate)	45	75
Lack of improved seed yam	40	66.7
Problems of pest and diseases	30	50
Lack of extension services	60	100

http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.ijaf.20140406.04.html