Maize Processing in Nigeria: Flour, Grits and Feed (2026)

Maize processing in Nigeria serves two quite different buyer groups: food makers who want flour, grits or meal, and poultry and livestock operations that want clean, dry, low-aflatoxin grain for feed. Both groups buy on quality, and the biggest quality risks are moisture, mould and aflatoxin. This guide covers the main products and process steps, the safety checks to build in, equipment categories, packaging and how to reach bulk buyers. It gives no costs, yields or margins, because they vary with your site, scale and the price of grain.

What you can make from maize

FAO's Post-harvest Compendium for maize lists the main dry-milled products and their uses: grits (flaking, coarse, medium and fine), meal used in bread and bakery mixes, and corn flour that is finer than 80 mesh, along with by-products such as germ and hominy feed. You can read it on the FAO website. Nigerian processors commonly make flour and grits for households and bakeries, and sell cleaned grain or milled by-products to feed mills and farms. Choose the products you can make consistently, then add others.

Maize processing for flour and grits: the steps

The FAO compendium describes dry milling in stages:

1. Clean the grain. Remove stones, dust, broken and mouldy kernels, and foreign matter.
2. Condition (temper). Add a small amount of water or steam to loosen the germ and soften the endosperm, with a rest period.
3. Degerm and dehull. Use a degerminator, roller mill or impact machine.
4. Dry and cool the product after degerming.
5. Grade. Sift the stock into size fractions.
6. Mill. Use roller mills with sifting to produce grits, meal and flour, then dry the finished products to the target moisture.

FAO gives 13 percent as the recommended grain moisture for safe storage and 11.5 percent for maize flour. Small hammer-mill operations skip several of these steps, which is why quality differs so much between products on the market. The more of the germ and bran you remove, the longer the flour usually keeps, but check what your customers want.

Maize for poultry feed: what buyers look for

Feed buyers want clean, dry maize with no visible mould, no insects and no foreign material. An FAO publication on controlling aflatoxin in maize says aflatoxin is typically low at harvest and increases in storage, and that weevil infestation is closely linked to mould contamination in stored maize. It describes drying maize to 14 percent moisture quickly after harvest as a core control, and notes that importers typically set limits between 20 and 100 parts per billion. That source is a Thai case study, so use it for the principles, not as a Nigerian standard.

In Nigeria, IITA's bulletin on an AgResults event in Lagos describes how implementers of aflatoxin-reduced maize were introduced to potential buyers including large poultry operations. It illustrates that feed buyers are interested in lower-aflatoxin grain, and that they want to meet suppliers who can show how the grain was dried, stored and tested. See the IITA bulletin. Ask each buyer which test method and limit they use, and test your lots before you quote.

Aflatoxin and storage controls to build in

• Dry fast. Do not leave wet grain sitting; the FAO source reports research finding that wet grain not dried within about 72 hours can develop an aflatoxin problem.
• Check moisture with a meter at intake and again before bagging.
• Sort out damaged and mouldy grain before milling or sale.
• Store on pallets in a dry, ventilated, rodent- and insect-proof store.
• Test. Keep records of tests and lots, and trace each lot back to the supplier.

Aflatoxin also matters for groundnuts; see our groundnut processing guide.

Records buyers like to see

Large buyers often ask for records. Keep a simple log for each lot: where the grain came from, intake moisture, drying date, test result, storage location, milling date and who it was sold to. If a problem is found, you can trace it quickly and limit the lots affected. A one-page specification sheet for each product (grade, moisture, particle size, packaging, shelf life) also shortens negotiation.

Equipment categories

• A cleaner or destoner and a moisture meter.
• Dryers or clean drying floors, and a conditioning (tempering) bin for flour milling.
• A degerminator or roller mill, a hammer mill for simple products, and sieves or sifters.
• Scales, bag-closing equipment and a store with pallets.

The right mix depends on whether you target flour for food, grits, or feed-grade grain. Get written quotes and ask for capacity data.

Registration and rules for maize processing

Packaged maize flour and grits sold under your brand need NAFDAC registration, and SON runs the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for manufactured goods. Start with NAFDAC registration for food products and food processing business requirements in Nigeria. For feed, ask NAFDAC and your state authorities which rules apply to your product.

Packaging and bulk sales

Flour and grits go into lined sacks or smaller retail bags with a clear label; feed grain often moves in woven sacks or bulk. Use clean, dry, sound bags. Label the product name, net weight, producer, batch and date. For general guidance see packaging, labelling and shelf life.

Who buys maize products in bulk and how to reach them

• Bakeries and food manufacturers buying flour and meal.
• Wholesalers and distributors supplying shops.
• Poultry farms and feed mills buying grain and by-products.
• Breweries and cereal makers buying specific grits grades, if you can meet their specifications.

Explain your grade and test results in writing, give a sample, and quote by MOQ. See MOQs and price tiers.

Frequently asked questions

What moisture should maize be for storage? FAO's compendium recommends 13 percent for grain and 11.5 percent for maize flour.

What is the difference between grits, meal and flour? They differ in particle size and use. Grits are coarser; meal is in between; flour is finest.

Can I sell the same maize as food and feed? Lower-grade grain may suit feed, but buyers set their own limits, so test and sort by grade.

How do I reduce aflatoxin risk? Dry quickly, sort, store dry on pallets, and test lots.

Getting started

If your maize processing turns out flour, grits or feed-grade grain that meets a buyer's specification, apply to supply on Comilmart at /apply-manufacturer. It is free to apply, with review stated at about 24 to 48 hours. Choose the category that fits your products and show MOQs, tiered prices and test details. You arrange and pay for delivery, and we cannot guarantee buyers.