Affordable Fish Feed Production: Formulation and Pelleting of Low-Cost Feeds

Empowering Aquaculture with Affordable Feeds

Formulation and Pelleting of Low-Cost Feeds" is a critical aquaculture technology that aims to reduce the high cost of fish feeds in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fish farming operations often allocate a significant portion of their budget, around 60% to 70%, for imported or overseas blended feed ingredients. This technology facilitates the local production of affordable, nutritionally balanced fish feeds. By leveraging extrusion and pelleting techniques, it enhances feed stability, nutrient delivery, and ease of handling. This innovation has the potential to significantly boost the profitability and sustainability of fish farming businesses in the region.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

Project adoption1

Technology integrated in the PROMAC project.

See project details ›

85,000 USD

Equipment of production

Problem

High production costs: Expensive fish feed can account for a large share of operating expenses and reduce the profitability of fish farming businesses.
Dependence on costly inputs: Reliance on imported or overseas blended ingredients exposes feed producers and fish farmers to high and potentially variable input costs.
Limited profit margins: High feed expenditure can reduce the margin available to fish farmers and other aquaculture businesses.
Feed quality challenges: Poorly formulated or unstable feeds can reduce the efficiency of nutrient delivery to farmed fish.
Feed wastage: Feed that breaks down rapidly in water can result in nutrient losses and unnecessary expenditure on feed.
Storage and transport constraints: Basic feed ingredients and unprocessed feeds can be difficult to handle, store, package, and transport efficiently.

Solution

Lower feed production costs: Using locally available ingredients selected according to price and nutritional value can reduce dependence on expensive imported inputs.
Improved profitability: Lower feed costs and more efficient nutrient delivery can contribute to better margins for fish farming and feed production businesses.
Reduced feed waste: Water stable pellets improve feed utilization and reduce losses associated with rapid disintegration in ponds.
Improved product quality: Extrusion and pelleting produce stable, nutritionally balanced feeds that are easier to handle and deliver consistently.
Efficient storage and distribution: Pellets are easier to package, store, and transport, improving the efficiency of feed distribution.
Market diversification: Producers can formulate feeds for different fish species and growth stages, allowing businesses to serve a wider range of aquaculture customers. The e catalog identifies pelleting as a relatively modest investment with the potential for quick returns.

Key points to design your business plan

For Manufacturers:

Manufacturers can leverage the "Formulation and Pelleting of Low-Cost Feeds" technology to produce affordable, nutritionally balanced fish feeds using locally grown crop and animal products. The manufacturing process involves extrusion and pelleting techniques, which improve feed stability, nutrient delivery, and ease of handling. The primary customers for these manufacturers would be agro hub dealers, fish farmers and farming cooperatives in Sub-Saharan Africa. The main costs for manufacturers would be the procurement of raw ingredients and equipment, production costs, and marketing expenses. The total cost of producing and marketing pelleted fish feed is around US $1,200 per ton, which can then be sold for up to US $1,500 per ton. This suggests low profit margins but high sales volumes. As for licensing requirements, it's recommended to contact the solution holder or the organization for detailed information.

For Resellers:

Resellers play a crucial role in the distribution of the technology. They can help reach a wider customer base, including fish farmers, agro-dealers, and extension agents. Resellers can source the manufactured feeds and identify efficient transportation methods and suitable storage facilities. Establishing strong partnerships with manufacturers and transportation providers is crucial for resellers. The main costs for resellers would be the purchase of feeds from manufacturers, storage and transportation costs, and marketing expenses.

For Users (Fish Farmers):

Users, primarily fish farmers, can benefit significantly from this technology. It enables them to access affordable, nutritionally balanced fish feeds, which can improve fish growth and farm profitability. The technology also reduces pollution in aquaculture ponds by improving nutrient transfer and feed stability. The main costs for users would be the purchase of fish feeds and operational costs associated with fish farming. Users can also benefit from training and support provided by manufacturers and resellers. The utilization of this technology increases the chances of producing higher quality crops meeting standards, with little to no aflatoxin, all at an affordable cost. As key partners, users need sellers of this technology. The cost structure, one Kg price of this technology, is set at $1.2-2 USD. The recommended dose is 10 kg per hectare. Users need to estimate the profit realized with the use of the product.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive high

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive low

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 8 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Countries	Beneficiaries	Budget (USD) & duration	Key figures
PROMAC Projet de Promotion de l’Aquaculture Durable et de Compétitivité des Chaines de Valeur de la Pêche	Benin	Direct: 10550 Indirect: 1200000	102.86 million 2023–2028	250 ha constructed ponds 56,000 m³ of equipped cages and pens 90 million fingerlings planned each year 6,300 direct jobs in aquaculture

Project

Countries

Beneficiaries

Budget (USD) & duration

Key figures

PROMAC
Projet de Promotion de l’Aquaculture Durable et de Compétitivité des Chaines de Valeur de la Pêche

Benin

Direct: 10550
Indirect: 1200000

102.86 million

2023–2028

250 ha constructed ponds
56,000 m³ of equipped cages and pens
90 million fingerlings planned each year
6,300 direct jobs in aquaculture

Figures in italic are from project plans and may change during implementation.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Botswana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Djibouti	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Equatorial Guinea	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Liberia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Madagascar	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mozambique	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sierra Leone	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
South Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sudan	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Source Quality Ingredients: Ensure that locally sourced feed ingredients are of high quality and competitively priced, taking into account toxin levels and substances affecting palatability and water stability in feed formulation.
Grinding Raw Materials: Use a hammer mill to grind the raw materials into a fine powder. Smaller particle sizes are preferable as they enhance digestibility, cohesiveness, and water stability. Sun or oven dry the materials before grinding, and ensure uniform particle size for different ingredients.
Mixing Ingredients: Homogenize the ingredients by mixing them manually to create a mash, or for large-scale feed production, use a mechanical mixer.
Adding Binders (if needed): If the cereals in the formula do not provide adequate binding, consider adding cassava starch or a similar product as a binder.
Moistening Raw Materials: Just before extrusion, moisten the raw materials to ensure they adhere together.
Wet Extrusion: Use wet-type steam pelletizers for extrusion, which helps gelatinize starch, further improving the nutritional value of the feed.
Pellet Size: Ensure that the diameter of the pellets is at least 4 millimeters, suitable for most adult fish.