0.5–0.6T/H Dry Floating Fish Feed Extruder in Botswana

The Client: A Smallholder Ready to Scale Up

This story is about a 38-year-old farmer who started with cattle and goats but added aquaculture to better use the small water dam on his family's land. After building three small ponds stocked with catfish and tilapia, he soon realized feed was his biggest running cost.

His challenge: he did not want to invest in a full factory — he simply wanted to produce floating fish feed on his own farm. He already had a basic feed grinder and a small mixer. What he needed was a robust, small dry floating fish feed extruder to turn local raw materials into nutritious floating pellets that would not sink and rot at the bottom of his ponds.

Choosing the Right Machine: DGP120-B Is the Perfect Fit

After researching options with RICHI's team, he settled on the DGP120-B dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana.

Machine specifications for this project:

• Model: DGP120-B
• Capacity: 0.5–0.6T/H
• Machine Power: 55KW
• Feeding Power: 1.1KW
• Cutting Power: 2.2KW
• Screw Diameter: 120MM

For him, this was the sweet spot. The DGP120-B dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana offers enough capacity to cover his own fish ponds and gives him a surplus to sell feed bags to three other fish farmers nearby — earning extra income to cover maintenance and fuel.

Smart Use of Local Raw Materials

One of the biggest reasons this Botswana farmer invested in the dry floating fish feed extruder is his easy access to affordable local raw materials. He is using:

• Maize bran (50%) — cheap, abundant after maize harvest
• Sunflower cake (20%) — local oil mills produce plenty
• Sorghum meal (20%) — easy to buy at village markets
• Small fish meal or dried termite meal (8%) — boosting protein
• Minerals & vitamins (2%)

This formula keeps feed costs down while giving tilapia and catfish the energy and protein they need to grow faster. With the DGP120-B dry floating fish feed extruder, he can experiment with different recipes seasonally — adding more fish meal during fry season or using more sorghum when maize prices spike.

Transforming Fish Farming Economics

Before buying the dry floating fish feed extruder, the farmer spent nearly half of his pond revenue on imported feed, delivered by truck from South Africa or Namibia. Quality was not always good, and sometimes feed arrived molded or wet.

With his own dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana, he now produces fresh, stable, floating feed whenever he needs it. The benefits have been huge:

• The floating feed stays on the surface, letting fish feed fully.
• Less feed is wasted, so water stays cleaner.
• Fish grow faster, reaching market size weeks earlier.
• The farmer now controls feed quality 100% — no more expired imports.
• Extra feed bags are sold to neighbors, creating new income.

Everyday Operation: Keeping It Simple

The DGP120-B dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana is easy for him to run. Every morning, he grinds maize bran and sorghum using his old hammer mill. He mixes raw ingredients in a basic 200kg mixer, then feeds the mix directly into the extruder.

He adjusts the cutting blade speed depending on the pellet size he wants — small for fingerlings, bigger for adult catfish. He dries the pellets in mesh trays under the Botswana sun, bags them in 25kg sacks, and stores them in a cool shed.

Why Floating Pellets Are a Game-Changer for Botswana

In Botswana's warm ponds, leftover feed that sinks spoils fast, producing bad smells and increasing fish disease risk. Floating pellets solve this because:

• Farmers can see exactly how much fish eat.
• Uneaten feed is removed easily.
• Clean water means less fish stress and disease.
• Better water quality means more fish per pond.

By producing his own high-quality floating feed, this farmer gets healthier fish and spends less on pond clean-ups and treatments.

A Simple System for a Sustainable Future

This farmer's setup is basic but smart:

1. One hammer mill for grinding.
2. One mixer for blending.
3. One DGP120-B dry floating fish feed extruder for pelletizing.

No extra silos, no fancy conveyors — just a practical solution matched to his real needs. If he grows his operation, he plans to add a small pellet cooler or a basic drying oven, but for now, Botswana’s sunny days do the job for free.

Building Trust with Neighbors

Word has spread about this farmer's homemade floating fish feed. Three nearby fish farmers now buy sacks from him every month. They save money versus importing feed — and they know exactly what goes into each pellet because he shares the ingredient breakdown openly.

One neighbor recently switched entirely to his feed after losing fish to poor water conditions caused by spoiled sinking feed from an unreliable supplier.

Why He Chose RICHI: Confidence, Not Just a Machine

This farmer looked at several Chinese suppliers online. Some offered cheaper machines, but he wanted:

• A machine that could handle Botswana’s coarse maize bran and high-fiber sunflower cake.
• Easy maintenance with local parts.
• Real recipes and technical guidance.

RICHI's team helped him pick the right extruder size and fine-tune his feed recipe for local conditions. They trained him on startup and gave him spare parts recommendations to avoid downtime.

Inspiration for Other Botswana Farmers

Botswana's aquaculture sector is young but growing. Many cattle farmers have dams and ponds that can support fish. The only missing piece for many of them is reliable feed at an affordable cost.

This farmer's success shows that you do not need a giant factory — just the right dry floating fish feed extruder machine, like the DGP120-B, DGP80-B, DGP90-B, or even the larger DGP135-B if output demand grows.

Next Steps: Scaling Up, Step by Step

Encouraged by his early results, the farmer is now exploring:

• Adding more ponds to double fish production.
• Partnering with a local school to supply fresh fish for student meals.
• Experimenting with feed for ornamental koi fish for hobbyists in Gaborone.

And all of it starts with one machine — the dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana that turned an idea into a reliable local business.

RICHI Machinery: A Partner for Sustainable Aquaculture in Africa

Every farm is different, but the principle is the same: good feed equals healthy fish, cleaner water, and more profit.

If you're in Botswana and wonder if a dry floating fish feed extruder in Botswana is right for your ponds, talk to RICHI Machinery. Whether you need a small DGP80-B to test your first batch, a DGP90-B for medium output, or a DGP200-B for bigger pond clusters — RICHI's aqua feed machines have been tested and trusted around the world.

Thinking about controlling your feed costs, improving fish growth, and building a better future for your farm? RICHI is ready to help you start with the right dry floating fish feed extruder machine. Get in touch — your success story could be next!