2.0-2.5 T/H Catfish Feed Pellet Making Machine in Nigeria

Nigeria's catfish industry has exploded in the past decade. The country produces over 1.3 million tons of catfish annually, primarily Clarias gariepinus (African sharptooth catfish). A mid-sized feed mill in Ogun State had been producing poultry feed for years. The mill owner saw the catfish boom and wanted to enter the aquaculture feed market.

He already had hammer mills, mixers, and bagging lines for poultry feed production. What he needed was a reliable catfish feed pellet machine in Nigeria that could produce 1.5-2.0 tons per hour of high-protein, dense sinking pellets suitable for catfish. After evaluating options from China, Europe, and Turkey, he purchased one SPHS120*2 extruder from RICHI.

RICHI has supplied similar extrusion systems for catfish feed to customers across Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The twin-screw technology has proven itself for high-protein sinking feed production in tropical climates. The mill owner's decision to enter the catfish feed market has positioned his company as a regional leader in aquaculture nutrition.

Project Background – The Nigerian Catfish Boom

Catfish are the most widely farmed fish in Nigeria. They grow quickly, tolerate high stocking densities, and have good market demand. Most catfish farmers currently use imported floating feed from Europe or pressed sinking feed from local mills. Imported feed is expensive, while pressed feed has poor water stability.

The mill owner saw an opportunity to produce a mid-priced extruded sinking feed with better water stability than pressed feed and lower cost than imported feed. His target customers are small and medium catfish farms in Ogun, Oyo, and Lagos states. These farms have 5-50 ponds each and cannot afford premium imported feed. A locally produced extruded feed at a competitive price would capture this market.

Why the SPHS120×2 was the Right Choice

The SPHS120×2 has a 90kW main motor and twin screws with 120mm diameter. Output is rated at 1.5-2.0 tons per hour for floating feed. For dense sinking catfish feed, output is about 2.0-2.5 tons per hour. The mill planned to run one shift per day, producing about 15 tons per day, enough to supply 100-150 medium catfish farms.

The 90kW motor runs on the mill's existing 150A three-phase service, so no electrical upgrade was needed. The twin-screw design is essential for sinking feed. It provides consistent pressure even with high-fish-meal formulations. Catfish feed has 30-35% protein. Single-screw extruders can surge with high-protein recipes, but twin-screw extruders maintain steady output.

Raw Materials – Sourcing Locally and Importing Strategically

Nigeria produces fish meal locally, but quality is inconsistent. The mill buys imported fish meal from Mauritania and Morocco for the premium product line. For the standard product, they blend local and imported fish meal. Soybean meal is produced in Nigeria, and wheat offal is available from local flour mills.

The mill developed two formulations:

• Premium formula: 35% fish meal (imported), 25% soybean meal, 20% wheat offal, 15% corn gluten meal, 5% fish oil.
• Standard formula: 25% fish meal (blend), 30% soybean meal, 25% wheat offal, 15% corn gluten meal, 5% fish oil.

Moisture entering the extruder is 23-24% for sinking feed. The conditioner heats the mash to 85-88°C. The extruder barrel has four heating zones: 50°C, 70°C, 90°C, and 90°C. Lower temperatures preserve heat-sensitive nutrients in the fish meal. Die pressure is maintained at 50-55 bar, and the mill runs the screws at 300 RPM.

Pellet Sizes and Sink Rates

The mill produces three pellet sizes: fry feed (1.5mm), fingerling feed (3mm), and grow-out feed (4.5mm). The 4.5mm pellets sink rapidly at 20-25 cm per second, reaching the bottom of a 2-meter pond in 8-10 seconds. Catfish are bottom feeders, so fast sinking is desirable.

The pellets remain intact for 45-50 minutes in warm tropical water (28°C). Water stability is critical in Nigeria's hot climate, where bacteria break down organic material rapidly.

Transition from Poultry Feed to Aquaculture Feed

The mill did not stop producing poultry feed. The poultry line runs alongside the new aquaculture line, and the extruder is dedicated to fish feed. The mill manager says the catfish feed business now accounts for 40% of revenue and is growing faster than poultry.

The extruder has opened a new market segment without cannibalizing the existing business. The mill employs 12 people on the fish feed line:

• 3 operators
• 2 maintenance technicians
• 5 material handlers
• 2 sales staff

Shipping – From Qingdao to Lagos

The SPHS120×2 extruder type catfish feed pellet making machine was shipped from Qingdao in June. The port of destination was Apapa in Lagos, Nigeria's largest seaport. Sea freight took 38 days, and customs clearance at Apapa took 14 days. Nigerian customs is slower than other countries, but the mill used an experienced broker.

Import duty on extrusion equipment from China to Nigeria is 5%, with VAT at 7.5%. The total landed cost was 24% above the FOB price. From Apapa, the machine traveled 60 kilometers by truck to Ogun State. The mill upgraded their forklift to handle the 5-ton machine.

Installation and Operator Training

Installation took four weeks. The mill poured a reinforced concrete foundation, and RICHI provided detailed installation drawings. A service engineer from RICHI's distributor in Lagos supervised the installation. The mill's electrician handled the 380V 3-phase connection.

Six operators trained for one week. They learned how to adjust the conditioner temperature, change dies, clean the die face, and monitor pellet quality. They also learned basic troubleshooting:

• How to identify under-conditioned mash (poor expansion)
• How to identify over-conditioned mash (sticky dough)
• Die plugging causes (too much fine fiber or metal contamination)

Problems During the First Three Months

Five problems required attention during startup:

1. Local fish meal variability. Some batches had 45% protein, others 55%. The mill now tests every batch before use and adjusts the formulation accordingly.
2. Condensation in the conditioner. The tropical climate caused moisture issues. The mill added insulation to the conditioner jacket, and condensation stopped.
3. Die plugging after four hours. Nigerian wheat offal contains more fiber than European wheat offal. The mill installed a finer screen (0.6mm) on the hammer mill. The die now runs for ten hours between cleanings.
4. Uneven pellet surface. The mill added 2% vegetable oil to the mixer. The oil lubricated the die and produced smoother pellets.
5. Undersized dryer. The extruder output exceeded the dryer's capacity. The mill upgraded the dryer from 2 tons per hour to 4 tons per hour.

Customer Feedback – What Catfish Farmers Say

The mill's sales team visited 50 catfish farms in the first three months, and feedback was positive. A catfish farmer in Ibadan reported that feed conversion ratio improved from 1.8 to 1.6 after switching to the extruded feed. Another farmer in Abeokuta said his fish reached harvest size two weeks earlier, attributing the faster growth to better digestibility of extruded feed.

A third farmer in Lagos said his pond water stayed clearer with extruded feed. Less waste meant fewer pond treatments. The mill now has 200 regular customers and sells 300-400 tons of catfish feed per month.

Additional Products – Other Feeds on the Same Extruder

The SPHS120×2 fish feed extruder is not limited to catfish feed. The mill produces three other extruded feeds:

• Tilapia feed – a floating pellet made with higher moisture (26%) and lower die pressure (30 bar), sold to tilapia farmers in northern Nigeria.
• Shrimp feed – sinking pellets in 1.0mm and 1.5mm sizes for a small but growing shrimp farming sector.
• Koi feed – a floating feed for ornamental fish, packaged in small bags for pet stores.

Operational Data After Ten Months

The mill's production manager shared operational data. The extruder has run 1,600 hours total. Catfish feed accounts for 70% of production, tilapia feed 15%, shrimp feed 10%, and koi feed 5%.

Die life varies by size: the 4.5mm catfish die lasts 1,000 hours, the 3mm fingerling die lasts 800 hours, and the 1.5mm fry die lasts 600 hours. The 90kW motor draws 84kW at normal load, with power cost at about 15,000 naira per hour – acceptable. The mill has become a regional leader in catfish feed production.

Technical Support from RICHI

RICHI's distributor in Lagos provided excellent support. A service engineer visited the mill monthly for the first three months. He helped dial in the screw configuration for sinking feed and trained the maintenance team on preventive maintenance.

RICHI had extensive African experience, having supplied catfish feed pellet making machines across the continent:

• Catfish feed pellet making machine in Nigeria to other mills
• Catfish feed pellet making machine in Ghana to producers in the Volta Region
• Catfish feed pellet making machine in Kenya to mills near Lake Victoria
• Catfish feed pellet making machine in South Africa to operations in the Cape

The engineer brought formulation data from these installations, which the mill used to create their premium and standard formulas. RICHI also provided a 24/7 WhatsApp support line, which the mill has used four times.

The Future of Catfish Feed Production in Nigeria

Nigeria's catfish industry continues to grow. Domestic feed production is expanding but still cannot meet demand, and imports fill the gap but are expensive. The mill in Ogun State proved that locally produced extruded feed can compete on price and quality.

Other feed mills are taking notice. At least seven have visited the facility since the extruder started running. RICHI Machinery has received inquiries from mills in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. For any feed producer looking to enter the aquaculture market, the same opportunity exists.

The catfish feed pellet making machine in Nigeria that the Ogun State mill purchased is not the largest model, but it has the performance and reliability that West African producers need. One SPHS120×2, formulations built around imported and local fish meal, and a commitment to water stability – that was enough to create a catfish feed that Nigerian farmers now prefer over imports.