Manual Flour Mill – Project Profile

08/08/2025

1. ✅ Project Summary

The Manual Flour Mill is a simple, affordable, and low-energy processing unit that transforms cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, and other cereals into high-quality flour. It is ideal for rural cooperatives, women's associations, and micro-enterprises, especially in off-grid or low-infrastructure settings.

This unit empowers communities to move from subsistence farming to value-added agro-processing, creating both food security and income.

2. 🏭 Output

  • Final Products:

    • High-Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF)

    • Maize flour (white/yellow)

    • Millet flour

    • Sorghum flour

    • Optional blends (multi-cereal mixes for porridge, weaning foods, baking)

  • Daily Capacity: 250 kg – 1 ton/day (varies by workforce & system design)

  • Flour Mesh Size: Adjustable to 80–120 mesh depending on use

3. ⚙️ Core Equipment

Component Function
Grater/Pre-Crusher Reduces wet or dried roots/grains
Manual or Pedal Mill Fine grinding with local energy or handpower
Sifter/Sieve Separates husk or fiber, standardizes size
Optional: Dryer For cassava before milling
Packaging Bench For small retail packs or bulk sacks

4. 📈 Market Drivers & Demand

  • Rising demand for gluten-free flours (cassava, millet, sorghum)

  • Demand for local porridge and baking flour in rural and peri-urban areas

  • High cost of imported wheat flour encourages local alternatives

  • Nutrition programs favor multi-cereal flours for children and the elderly

  • NGOs and governments promote cassava transformation in food policy

5. 💰 Financial Indicators (Micro to Small-Scale)

Indicator Estimate
Initial Investment (CAPEX) $2,500 – $10,000 (manual to hybrid model)
Daily Milling Capacity 250 – 1,000 kg
Production Cost per kg $0.10 – $0.20 (including raw material)
Selling Price per kg $0.30 – $0.60 (higher for blends/gluten-free)
Gross Profit Margin 35% – 60%
Monthly Net Profit $400 – $1,500
Break-even Period 6 – 12 months
Yearly ROI 60% – 100%
Direct Jobs Created 3 – 8 (local youth and women preferred)

6. 🌍 Social & Economic Impact

✅ Boosts household and cooperative income
✅ Empowers women and young entrepreneurs
✅ Improves access to nutritious local flours
✅ Strengthens rural food self-sufficiency
✅ Ideal for NGO pilot projects and post-conflict recovery zones

7. 🤝 Projet Assistance: Local Milling Made Simple

At Projet Assistance, we provide:

  • Tailored milling equipment packages (manual, solar, hybrid)

  • Training in flour hygiene and small business operations

  • Linkage with school feeding and nutrition programs

  • Branding, packaging, and marketing support

  • Integration with solar dryers and cassava chip producers

📩 Ready to launch your local flour brand?

Let's process tradition into profit, sustainably.
📧 Contact: youta@projet-assistance.com
🌐 Projet Assistance – Empowering Rural Food Value Chains

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