Description

Plantain has advantage over other starchy foods because it contains protein, mineral and vitamins and medically plantain can be used to cure a lot of ailments including sore throat, tongilolitis diarrhea vomiting and it is said to be a major diet in the production of soy-musa which can be used in the treatment of kwashiorkor.

There is a great potential for the processing of plantain chips in Nigeria.  With the advent of globalization, Nigerian eating habits are changing to emulate those of the West. This means that consumption of Western style Fast Foods is on the rise. Due to this reason the potential market size of Fast Food products is increasing at an exponential growth rate. This is also evident from the entry of world famous Fast Food Chains entering Nigerian Market such as KFC.

Along with international chains there are large numbers of local restaurants, which also deal in similar kinds of Fast Food. There is a huge business opportunity in this area of the Fast Food Value Chain.
The market for plantain chips is national. With a population of over 165 million people and an estimated national population growth rate of 5.7% per annum ,an average economic growth rate of 3.5% per annum in the past five {5} years, Nigeria has a large market for plantain chips.

Children, teenagers, young and old people alike  are the target market of the Plantain Chips. Home, rather than school, is the most popular destination for eating crisps and savory snacks, with seven in ten children (70%) consuming them at home, against around half (48%) who eat such snacks at school. After school, when children tend to choose their own snacks, 70% select crisps and savoury snacks compared to lunchboxes, which mothers generally pack, where the most popular item is a savoury sandwich or roll.

Some 44% of consumers prefer to buy children’s snacks in multipacks while nearly half of all consumers say they are price motivated in their snack purchasing. The demand of the present market is met by the mix of Branded and Unbranded Chips available in the Market. There are 60% of the population which is Brand Loyal. However remaining 40% of the Un-branded Market can be attracted through heavy Advertisement Campaign.

The national demand for plantain chips is estimated at 5,250 Tonnes/Annum while the annual national supply is estimated at 4,575 Tonnes with a demand – supply gap of about 675 Tonnes/Annum.