FISH PROCESSING FACTORY FOR IBAKA MBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AKWA IBOM STATE

ABSTRACT

Most of the fish marketed throughout Nigeria are in either smoked or dried form. The technological requirement for other forms of preservation like chilling and freezing cannot be afforded by the small scale fisher men. Considerable quantities of fish processed for distant consumer markets are lost at handling, processing, storage and marketing stages. Significant losses occur through infestation by mites, insects, fungal infection and fragmentation during transportation. However, with steadily growing market, it has become imperative to process scientifically for better shelf life as well. This paper attempts to describe the effect of these losses on fish quality and suggests mechanized methods of protecting fish from agents of deterioration. This study is aimed at achieving effective production flow and circulation in a processing factory, which may pose a serious problem. Through the application of primary and secondary means of research, this study has employed a good production flow line and made use of a circulation pattern to achieve effective production flow and circulation in the design of a fish processing factory.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

According to Dr. AkinwumiAdesina“Fish does not grow in sand but in

water, and Nigeria has abundance of water. We are blessed with numerous lakes, rivers, reservoirs, dams and flood plains, spanning about 13        million         hectares  which          can          support                 artisanal      fisheries      and aquaculture”.

Agriculture in general and fisheries in particular are the sectors for sustainable       development      because      hunger      is     the      most      visible manifestation of poverty in any society. Hence any effort in these sectors is not only a fight against hunger but a necessary ingredient for economic development as well. In Nigeria, fish plays an important part in the diet of many communities and a large number of families earn a living from fishing, fish processing and marketing.Early in the 1960s, agriculture accounted for nearly 60% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 80% of export earnings in Nigeria (Shaibu, et al, 1997). Today, agriculture accounts for a third of GDP and fishery contributing 5.4% of the Gross DomesticProduct in 2002 (Federal Department of Fisheries, 2005),then oil accounting for the rest.

Fish is becoming increasingly important in the diet of Nigerian as

the cost of beef increases daily. Fish constitutes a great percentage of

animal protein intakes in Nigeria at present. Fish is a nutritious aquatic animal. It constitutes reasonable percentage of the dietary needs of human beings when processed (Adair, 1976). The principal nutritional,

constituents of fish in nearest analysis include water, protein, lipid, minerals, vitamin B2 to mention a few.Fish is a major source of protein.

It’s harvesting, handling, processing and distribution provide livelihood for people as well as providing foreign exchange earnings, to many countries (Al-Jufailiet al 2006). The importance of fish production in the tropics in particular and the world at large can never be over emphasized; it is a source of stable food, raw materials for our growing factories and job opportunity for the teaming population (Alamu, 1990). Fish production from tropical waters hasincreased in recent years reaching about 15milloion tonnes in the 19th Century up to date andthereby forming 17 percent of the world’s total catch. The production is composed of 11 milliontonnes ofmarine fish (80%) and 4 million tonnes of fresh water fish (20%) (Eyo 1996). Nigeria has the highest fish demand in the world, (1.5 million metric

ton) and a per capital consumption of 7.5-8.5kg annually (Federal

Department of Fisheries, 2005). This has adversely affected Nigeria as she

spends a lot importing over 900,000 metric tons of fish while its domestic fish catch is estimated at 450,000 metric tons/year. This large dependence on imported fish has adversely affected her economy and mostly foreign reserves (R.M. Davies et al., 2008).

This awareness has led to many local fishermen venturing into

fishery and fishing business without proper knowledge of preservation,

processing and marketing processes. Most of the fish marketed

throughout Nigeria are derived from remote inland waters at different

points along the Niger-Benue rivers, the Kainji Lake and the Lake Chad

(Osuji 1975; Uboma et al. (1981). Most of this fish are caught, processed

and marketed by local fishermen who employ the old traditional methods

of smoking and or sun drying as the major processing technique before the fish is marketed. Fish preservation is a very important aspect of the fisheries. Normally, the fish farms or other fish capturing sites are located far off from the market place and there are chances of fish decomposition and the uncertainties of their sale in market. Also, lack of technical know-how and lack of equipment lead to many of the fishes spoiling or deteriorating. In some islands, more fish is caught at times than can be consumed. Fish when out of water deteriorates fast except immediate step are taken to preserve its quality. Despite the subsistence nature of fishes captured in Nigeria, as much as 50% postharvest losses are recorded resulting to economic losses to farmers, fish processors and marketers (Bolorunduro 1996). When the fishes are caught in numbers, greater than the amount needed for immediate consumption, their preservation becomes a necessity for their future use. Preservation and processing therefore become a very important part of commercial fisheries. It is done in such a manner that the fishes remain fresh for a long time, with a minimum loss of flavour, taste, odour, nutritive value and the digestibility of their flesh.

Fish is a highly perishable good which may spoil if not handled

properly and preserved.Bolorunduro (1996) stated that handling refers to the human environmental contact withfish from the fishing ground to the consumer centers before they are sold to the consumers, preserved or processed. In general, purchasing of fish product depends not only on

quantity but quality. Aqualitative fish have the highest market demand

Qualitative fish mean products that are well preserved that are smoked,

sundried, salted or freezed.

Fish, which are not properly preserved, gets rotten and loses value,

because they areperishable goods that need proper handling. To maintain

its nutritional value, have a long life span with a desirable quality, the need to preserve it and prevent it from deteriorating and decaying is highly essential. The process of preserving, stepping up productivity, quality and storability of fish and its products is usually a tasking process. To effectively achieve this, mechanization (the use of machines) is involved which makes the process easier, faster, and neater and an overall effective productivity. Also, the increase in demand for the ready to eat fish products has necessitated the use of machines. The process of mechanization involves the production of fish products in large quantity to meet the demand and so the need for a fish processing factory arises.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

A fish factory is a facility where fish processing is performed. This

assumes the best possible market quality, health safety of products,

reduced waste among others. The fish processing industry is very widespread and quite varied in terms of types of operation, scales of production and outputs. In general, fish processing operations are located close to commercial fishing areas. However in some cases catches may be transported long distances or exported for processing. The Northwest Pacific region is by far the most important fishing area in terms of

volumes caught and processed. China, Peru, Chile, Japan, the United 4

States, the Russian Federation and Indonesia (in that order) are the top

producing countries, together accounting for more than half of world fish

production.

Approximately 75% of world fish production is used for human

consumption and the remaining 25% is used to produce fish meal and oil.

Fish meal is a commodity used as feed for livestock such as poultry, pigs and farmed fish and fish oil is used as an ingredient in paints and margarine. Currently, only about 30% of fish produced for human consumption are marketed fresh. The supply of frozen fish fillets and fish, in the form of ready-to-eat meals and other convenience food products is growing in both developed and developing countries. Records have it that actual qualities of fish produced in Nigeria are fragmentary but there are indications that these must run into almost a million tons annually. The few available records also show that the country’s fisheries resources are severely underutilized since most of the fish are caught, processed and marketed by individual fishermen, who are all ill equipped to handle large quantities of the commodity (FAO, 1972, 1973 and 1974).

The importance of fish cannot be overemphasized. Appropriate

processing of fish enables maximum use of raw material and production

of value-added products which is obviously the basis of processing profitability. Fish processing, like the processing of other raw food materials should assure best possible market quality, provide a proper form of semi-processed final product, assure healthy and safety of products for consumers, apply the most appropriate processing method and reduce wastes to the barest possible extent. Akinneye, et al., (2007) 5

and Davies (2005) reported that the development of appropriate fishing

machinery and techniques that employ effective production, handling,

harvesting, processing and storage, cannot be overemphasized especially in the age when aquaculture development is vastly gathering momentum in Nigeria.

The world seafood industry plays a significant role in the economic and social wellbeing of nations, as well as in the feeding of a significant part of the world’s population. Fishing and fish farming has emerged as one of the major food processing occupations of mankind. In ancient times, economically and socially backward people were employed in this profession. The advent of modern mechanized fishing vessels has brought vast changes in the attitude of the public fishing and seafood processing. From low income and socially backward communities the profession has shifted to the hands of industrialists and technologists. Today fishing and processing activities provide employment to millions of people around the world.

Fish processing can be defined as a method applied to the fish from

the time of harvest to the consumption period. Processing of fish into

forms for human consumption or suitable to be used as a supplement in

animal food has been neglected in fish culture practices. This may be due to the high technology required in some of the processes and the fact that those involved in actual fish production are ignorant of the different processing methods. In other to prevent fish deterioration, every fish processor must strive to employ the best method possible in handing fish to maximize returns on processing investment (Davies, 2005). The process 6

here include both human/manual and machines operations. This also

covers other complementary services such as transportation, storage and

management without which proper coordination of all these processes will not be achieved.

There are several forms of processing fish in the factory which give

various production flow lines. In this project, the proposal is a six-process-line, theyare the following;

(i)         Smoked fish production line

(ii)        Dry fish production line

(iii)       Fish meal/oil production line (iv)            Canned fish production line (v)            Fish spice productionline

(vi)       Waste handling production line

1.2STATEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL PROBLEM

Nigeria being a country in the tropics is faced with a major design

problem “heat”.

In the design of a factory such as Fish Processing Factory, Ibaka,

Mbo, Akwa Ibom state in the tropics goes beyond climatic and aesthetic problems. A lot of activities take place in the fish factory simultaneously which makes it a busy place and can limit the integrity of the Architect in making a good design. Such limitations include;

· Movement of and positioning of equipment and machines

· Movement of people in the factory both internally and externally

· The form that will most adequately accommodate the design functions and its relationship to the site

· Ventilating and lighting of the production area and other interior spaces

· Adequate circulation space for traffic control within and outside the factory

· Handling of waste products generated

· Fire hazards with respect to human life and damage to building · Harnessing the bye-product

The problem therefore, is how to effectively organize space achieve

adequate ventilation, place equipment and machines and circulation

elements in order to achieve a good production flow and circulation flow

internally and externally.

1.3AIM OF STUDY

The aim of this project is to provide a conducive, standard and functional

“fish processing factory” in Ibaka, Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State using Modern Architectural building designs in the design of these spaces through interplay of space organization, functional flow and building formthat will be appealing to the environment.

1.4OBJECTIVES

vTo exploit the abundant fish potentials and harness them with the

commercial potentials of mechanized of a mechanized process of

fish processing.

vTo reduce the country’s over dependence on petroleum as a foreign exchange earner to enhance economic self-reliance.

vTo create an enabling environment for neater, easier and faster fish processing.

vTo create an enabling environment with functional organization that will enhance the work output of workers.

vTo achieve proper circulation of materials, pedestrians and vehicles.

vTo create an aesthetically appealing architectural masterpiece that will be attractive and stand as a reference point in the environment.

vTo work out a suitable traffic flow and parking for vehicular usages. vTo consideration of safety in design in terms of emergency such as

fire outbreak and escape routes in the building.

1.5MOTIVATION

This study is motivated by my quest to solve the problem of fish

production which is far short of fish demand,eliminate post-harvest losses and provide a fish processing factory in the country that will serve as a reference point to architects/designers and researchers.

To compliment this initiative, the Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Goodluck Jonathan acquired a 10.1 million Euros‘s deep sea vessel constructed by Remomtowa Holdings for the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research on august 15, 2014. This deep sea vessel will substantially enhance Nigeria’s capability to understand and optimize its abundant marine resources. It will also enhance training and human capital development for the fisheries sector.

With this initiative explained, much effort have been made by the Federal Government as the Minister for agriculture, Dr. AkinwumiAdesina noted that they had started work on unlocking Nigeria’s fisheries potential with the launching of a nationwide provision of subsidized fisheries inputs last year. Fish farmers were registered under the electronic wallet scheme and provided with juveniles and subsidized fish feed. Artisanal fishermen were provided with nets, ropes, sinkers, floats and insulated boxes free of charge and canoes at 50% subsidy.

1.6SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Through this study, effective production flow and circulation between man and machine in fish factory will be analyzed. It will entail the problems, standards, requirements and perquisites in the design of a functional and effective fish processing industry. This will give the fishing sector a new face-lift by putting up an aesthetically charming and contemporary structure which directly raise the image of Akwa Ibom state and send positive signal to surrounding states and the nation at large.

Structures and facilities of an institution can influence and attract

people to it. Some people would want to visit a place or facility because of

the amenities and infrastructure which serve as tourist attraction to the 10

state thereby creating revenue to the state. Therefore, facilities and

structures give institutions their images and even contribute to their

standard ratings and rankings. Hence, having such kind of facilities in Akwa Ibom state willthe state a new look and image.

1.7SCOPE OF STUDY

This research is limited to measures that will enhance an effective

production flow and circulation between man and machine in a fish

processing factory.The proposed fish processing factory shall be of

international accepted standard. The design proposal shall attempt to

provide all necessary facilities required in such a factory complex. The factory will provide a full range of production services along with support services, administrative offices and general ancillary spaces.

Therefore, the focus of the research will be to create an enabling working environment for workers in the factory putting into cognizance the movement of machines, arrangements and positioning of facilities and spaces in order to achieve a good circulation with good lighting, ventilation, odour control, waste management, safety measures, fire prevention and an aesthetical pleasing environment.

1.8AREA OF STUDY

The factory shall be sited along the bank of Mbo River in Ibaka in Mbo local government area of Akwa-Ibom state.Mbo river is one of the major rivers in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria, traversing across two local government areas and lies within latitude 40 30’ to 5 0 30’ North and 70 30’

to 8 0 30’ West on the South Eastern Nigeria Coastline. It accounts for the 11

longest coastline in the Gulf of Guinea which has one of the best port

features for fishing that could be found anywhere in the world with a

depth of between 15-18meters of water channel without perennial dredging. With this potentials if well harnessed will give the fishing sector an enabling environment,

1.9LIMITATION OF STUDY

Lack of Special Instruments

Some information needed to be tested and determined by the use of special instrument such as echo sounding for determining depth of the sea and nature of the soil were not available as related information were obtained from book resources.

No Operating Fish Factory in Nigeria

I find this the most tasking as there is no operating fish factory in Akwa

Ibom state and Nigeria to get firsthand information. The existing one in

Oron has been closed down and the operating ones in Nigeria are doing so in smaller scales.

1.10RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In carrying out this research, the descriptive and comparative

method will be used. Data collected from both primary and secondary

sources will be used to analyze and integrate into the design of the

proposed Fish Processing Factory, Mbo. Studies will be taken from

existing factories to determine the circulation means that were used and study of the development of industrial Architecture, review of the

development of fish handling and processing and review of the existing

state of fish handling in Akwa Ibom state.

Sources of primary data are;

vInformation from case studies carried out vDiscussion with supervising lecturers

vVisit to the proposed site for comprehensive reconnaissance vOn-the-site experience with the local fisher men

vInterviews with the relevant bodies and organizations of and for users of fish processing factory to identify their preferences with respect to the project.

The secondary data are;

vCollection of data on the internet for more recent findings on the topics in focus

v Review of past-related literature from the media, books, journals, magazines, lectures, past projects and conference papers.

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