Community Milling: Community feeding possibilities – Roff Milling

In this blog we explore the concept of community or service milling (also known as “posho” milling in Eastern African countries) and why Roff’s Posho roller mill is the ideal compact machine for the job.

What is community milling?

Community or service millers charge members of the local community a small fee for milling their maize, often the staple food of rural families. These millers provide a valuable service to people in rural areas, who cannot afford to travel great distances to have their maize milled or to purchase commercially packaged maize meal from retail shops.

Posho client

It’s a win-win situation for both parties: the entrepreneur or small business owner with the mill makes a sustainable, profitable income, while the community member benefits from getting his maize milled at a competitive rate close to his home.

In some cases the millers also keep the bran that’s a by-product from the milling process, and either sell it on to animal feed producers for an extra income, or use it to feed their own animals.

Community milling plays an important role in promoting food security in Africa, creating business opportunities for African entrepreneurs, and creating jobs for the people employed at the mill.

Posho cattle

Roff's Posho Mill is the perfect starter mill for community milling

Capacity: The Roff Posho roller mill has a capacity of 750kg per hour if continuously fed, but when it’s used for batch milling like in a typical service milling setting, it will mill a 25kg bag or bucket of maize in about two minutes.

Quality: It delivers a sifted or special maize meal at an 85% extraction rate, with the bran by-product that can be sold for an additional income.

Maize meal from Posho with hand

Small footprint: Thanks to its small footprint of just 2m x 1m, it can be set up in a small building such as a single garage.

Easy operation: The Posho is very easy to operate, and after a few hours of training, practically anyone can run the mill.

Optional extras: A 70L batch mixer can be added that will make conditioning of the maize a lot easier, and increase the quality of both the maize meal and bran.

Roff Posho Community Maize Mill 740

For more helpful information and guides on how service milling and the Roff Posho Mill can work for you, 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.