Here is the 1st part of this series. Agro Business in Nigeria Part I
Here is the 2nd part of this series. Agro Business in Nigeria Part II
Here is the 3rd part of this series. Agro Business in Nigeria Part III
Today we shall be profiling the agricultural products and raw materials that are fairly abundant in Nigeria and which has demand outside the shores of this country and also their location locally.
CHARCOAL
Description
Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, i.e. the heating of wood, sugar, bone char, or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal and is 85% to 98% carbon with the remainder consisting of volatile chemicals and ash.
Harvest
Hard wood charcoal can be produced year round. However, it generally advised that charcoal production and export should be done during the dry season (from November to May). Production and export of charcoal during the raining season could be rejected by buyers because of the high moisture content (i.e. above than 10%) which is usually the characteristics of the charcoal produced during this period.
Location
Charcoal can be produced from different part of the country, especially in the south west region (Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, etc), south south and south eastern part of the country (Enugu, Rivers, Cross river, etc), and also in the middle belt (Kwara, Kogi, Abuja and Benue) are of the country.
Specifications
Ash content: 3% - 4% max
Volatile matter: 5 – 10% max
Wood matter: 2-4% max
Size: 20-120mm
Carbon: 65-80% max
Uses
Charcoal are widely used for outdoor grilling and barbecues in backyards and on camping trips. It’s also used for House-Heating. Historically, charcoal was used in great quantities for smelting iron and later in blast furnaces and finery forges.
Export Market
The export markets for charcoals from Nigeria include Germany, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and UK. The largest importers of charcoal in the EU are Poland, France, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. They buy and sell to the rest of Europe.
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