Entrepreneurship, milling in rural areas, Posho, roller mills

The ideal maize meal mill for community milling

Marketing Manager at Roff Milling

February 3, 2022

Roff’s Posho maize mill is a compact unit developed specifically for successful community milling. The innovative Posho gives small-scale milling entrepreneurs the freedom to provide an invaluable service to their local communities while generating a profitable income.

The simplified roller milling technology is designed to bring the mill to the consumer. This makes it the prefect mill for supplying quality maize meal and selling the by-product as animal feed in rural areas. Here’s why:

Serve the community

Maize millers say business success depends on a top-quality product. Market research shows that rural consumer preferences are changing, and customers now demand high-quality maize meal.

With its state-of-the-art roller technology, the Posho mill consistently produces a high-quality, fine-textured grain. The Posho makes use of a combination of two sets of rollers and a redesigned screen. By adding a small amount of water to the maize only 10 minutes before milling, the rollers can remove almost all germ and bran, and the screens effectively separate it from the maize meal. The result is a tastier, less gritty and fresher product, that the community will prefer over hammer-milled meal.

Meet Roff's hardworking new maize milling machine

Lower costs carried over to the community

Being the centre of the supply chain, maize millers are key role players in the maize meal industry. But small-scale milling businesses attract costs that are 1.6 times higher than large brand milling companies.

With the affordable Posho mill, you can reduce costs. Capable of producing two products, the Posho has a high extraction rate: 85% maize meal for human consumption and 15% bran for animal feed. It can produce 637kg of maize meal per hour, which allows you to cut out the middlemen and mill directly for the rural markets. This enables them to put food on the table at half the price of commercially packed maize meal from retail stores.

Requiring only 9.5 kW of power, all you need to provide for you pre-assembled, easy-to-operate Posho mill is a location, water and electrical supply.

maize milling 1

To find out more about Roff’s Posho mill and its specifications, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions below

Why should a maize producer consider investing in a maize mill?

A maize mill gives producers the opportunity to add value to their own maize instead of relying only on the raw grain price. By milling, packaging and marketing maize meal, producers can create an additional revenue stream and reduce the impact of maize price volatility on their business. By-products like maize germ and bran can also be sold or used in feed operations, helping ensure that more of the maize kernel contributes to the bottom line.

How can milling help protect farmers from maize price fluctuations?

Maize prices are constantly influenced by market conditions, weather, climate changes and global events. When prices are low, producers may feel pressure on margins, especially when input costs remain high. Milling helps producers move further up the value chain by selling a finished product rather than only raw maize, giving them more control over their margins and market position.

What products can be made from a maize milling plant?

A commercial maize mill can produce maize meal, while some configurations can also produce grits for snack products. The milling process also creates by-products such as maize germ and bran, which can be sold to feedlots or used in a producer’s own animal feed operation. In Idlani’s case, this has become a useful additional income stream alongside their main maize meal business.

What makes the Roff R-70 a good option for maize milling entrepreneurs?

The Roff R-70 is a compact commercial maize mill designed for entrepreneurs who want to produce maize meal at scale. It has a milling capacity of 4 to 5 tons per hour and can produce up to 120 tons of maize per day, depending on the configuration. Roff positions the R-70 as a compact, all-in-one maize mill built around simple, high-quality milling principles.

What support does Roff provide with the R-70?

Roff supplies the mill, electric panel boards, installation, set-up and training. The blog also highlights the value of choosing a manufacturer with a strong reputation, industry knowledge, after-sales support and locally available parts, especially when downtime can directly affect profitability.