One of the easiest and cheapest cottage agric businesses you can start without stress is a catfish smoking business. There are several catfish farmers in Nigeria today, so getting catfish to smoke is not a problem. All you need to start this business is skill and determination. You don’t have to be a catfish farmer, you might not even have an idea of how fish grows but you can make big money smoking fish for fish farmers. This is a business for both fish farmers and non-fish farmers. Smoking fish can be easy if you follow some basic steps. The four basic steps in smoking fish are cleaning, curing, smoking and drying.

Tips on smoking catfish
The first step in your fish smoking business is to obtain some fresh fish. If it doesn’t look FRESH or smell FRESH or feel FRESH, it probably isn’t, and it will make your finished product taste bad. Use fresh fish. Smoking will not hide old fish. The quality will be reflected.Catfish harvest is categorize into two namely melange (unit weight between 300g-600g) and table size (600g-above),the price/kg of melange is between N350-N400 and N450-N500 for table size as at today. The pocket size of your target audience will determine the type in terms of size of fish to smoke.

After harvesting (as a farmer) or purchasing (as a non farmer) your fresh catfish, put them in a container and add a reasonable amount of cooking salt and cover the container with a lid and place a heavy object on the lid to prevent the fish from getting out of the container.Leave for about 30 minutes after which all the fish must have been dead then you can start the steps mentioned above.


CLEANING
• clean fish, removing the gills and intestine.
• Wash in clean water.

BRINE AND CURE
what is brine? Basically, brine is salt and water. Soaking the fish in brine will achieve a few things:
• It will firm up the flesh to be less mushy.
• It will draw out any old blood, which will improve the taste.
• It will add some saltiness to the fish in the right amounts; this is desired.
• It will add some additional flavoring to the fish.
• The cure will ensure that we are protected from the deadly botulism bacteria, especially since this is a relatively low temperature cooking environment.

(Brine recipe • 1/2 gallon good clean spring water • 3/4 cup kosher salt (or plain salt, but not iodized salt)

SMOKING AND DRYING
• Prepare smoker. Too much smoke will cause the fish to taste bitter. Use just enough wood to maintain a steady smoke (Read my next post for types of oven and there advantages)
• Remove fish from brine and rinse with cold water.
• Place fish, skin side down on oiled smoker rack.
• Keep the fire low, for the first two hours.
• Increase heat after the first two hours. The length of time will depend on the thickness of the fish, and on your preference for dry or moist smoked fish.
• . Continue smoking until fish is flaky and cooked through.

NB:Avoid smoking fish with firewood and sawdust, this is because these two generates a lot of smoke which contains high PAH that is very toxic to human health. Read the next post titled "types of oven" for information's on this

There are many advantages for smoking fish. It prolongs the “shelf life” of the fish once it has been smoked. Many people believe it enhances the flavor when used in sauces and soup. If you harvest a number of fish at a time, you can decide to smoke some to increase your income. A kilo of smoked fish is between N2500 – N3000. You can pack them in bags per kilo by sealing with low oxygen or even sell as fish hampers.
A smoked catfish can be stored in the freezer for sixty days.
Last but not least, smoked fish is a great way to get omega-3 fatty acids. There are numerous studies showing positive effects of these acids on the prevention of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

For more information on fish smoking and types of smoking kiln visit http://bethsaidal..com.ng/2016/01/smoking-business-made-easy-with-our-new.html


http://bethsaidal..com.ng/2015/12/feed-and-cost-of-feeding-in-fish-farming.html

I am keenly following and have bookmarked this page.

God bless you jare!

In other to smoke your fish and preserve it for as long as 12-16 weeks without the fish growing mould or getting spoilt then you have extract between 75-80% moisture and oil from the fish. i.e if you smoke a fish that weighs 1kg after smoking the weight should be between 200-250 grams. this can be easilly archieved by weighing your fish before smoking if possible on the rack of the oven as shown in the picture below.

Chairmo.... U no dey do again?

I dey follow you na.... Sometimes no be only FRONT PAGE matters ooo

Me I dey gain correct knowledge for wetin you dey yan, abeg lets go on soun.....

lol @playermeji the issue is not front page and can never but the fact my schedules are very tight lately but i will try to update as much as i can because there is alot to the busy and its a very lucrative one but we will take it one step at a time

PlayerMeji:
Chairmo.... U no dey do again?

I dey follow you na.... Sometimes no be only FRONT PAGE matters ooo

Me I dey gain correct knowledge for wetin you dey yan, abeg lets go on soun.....

How lucrative is the business? i am sure someone is asking that question which indeed is one of the most important question to ask before venturing into the business of fish smoking either for local market or the international market which is exportation (we will talk more on that in the future)

Yes i have said it before, the business is lucrative and this is how: In fish smoking business, you either smoke your own farmed fish or buy from fish farmers, either way you will surely make your profit but i usally advise people to smoke their own farmed fish as the profit margin on that is very high but its most easy for people who are full time fish farmers. Lets start with the example of someone that wants to buy from a fish farmer, basically the rampant type of fish that are been smoked are refer to as melunch which ranges from any fish that can be folded through fishes that weigh 400g (i.e fish that weigh 400g and below while fishes that weighs 400g and above are refered to as table size). The melunch presently sells for about 400/kg while the table sizes sales for 500-550/kg.

If you buy 100kg of melunch at 400/kg that means you are to pay N40,000 for the 100kg of fish. follow the steps stated above to smoke, remember you will lose about 70-75% of the weight after smoking for longer preservation which means you will be left with about 25kg of smoked fish after the process. let us assume you made use of 2000 worth of gas or charcoal as power source depending on your type of smoking kiln (2000 naira is way too much for gas or charcoal for 100kg fish though) then you would have spent 42,000 + 3000 for miscelaneous then the total should be around 45,000.

The present market value for smoked fish is 3000/kg (thats why an average 1000pack of smoke fish weighs about 330g-350g) there your 25kg will fetch you 25 multiply by 3000 which will give you 75,000.

75,000-45,000 = 30,000 profit.

Remember the man that sells melunch to you is also making profit, so what if you are the farmer that farmed the melunch? That means more profit.

The business is indeed profitable but there is more......keep following

Following o. I sent you a pm. Kindly respond. God bless you

i just replied your pm

Jesusbaby6:
Following o. I sent you a pm. Kindly respond. God bless you

Nice idea here, following to learn more

You said a kilo will drain to 200-250 grams, what is the total kilo of 50 kg of fish gong to arrive at good production. Thanks

Wao! Intresting piece

okay lets talk about export, Nigeria as a country has alot of her citizens in living abroad to the extent that the Nigerian house of representatives attest to the fact that they have lost count of how many nigerians living abroad .....source: http://saharareporters.com/2014/02/11/we-dont-know-how-many-nigerians-live-abroad-says-chairman-nigerian-diaspora-affairs

This although is not a good thing because it shows we do not have a good data base but on the bright side, its gives room for an increase in the demand of nigerian food stuffs which include smoked catfish. Exportation can be divided into two namely formal and informal export. Formal export requires that you have an export license and its capital intensive compared to the informal export . Although payment is more secure for formal export compare to the informal. Nigerian foods stuffs including smoke catfish can be exported both informally and formally. The type of export you are doing will determine the type of packaging you are going to do for your smoked catfish in other to meet the country of destination standard and also for better preservation before and after the date of arrival to the country of destination. for formal exportation the packaging has to be branded and a couple of test which includeds test for PAH has to be carried out on your product before they can be allowed into some destination countries............To be continued .....plenty work dey tomorrow lol

lets keep the thread on fish smoking, if you are interested in exportation of Nigerian foodstuffs visit http://bethsaidal..com.ng/2014/01/exportation-business-has-been-around.html for detail information

Etranshub:
okay lets talk about export, Nigeria as a country has alot of her citizens in living abroad to the extent that the Nigerian house of representatives attest to the fact that they have lost count of how many nigerians living abroad .....source: http://saharareporters.com/2014/02/11/we-dont-know-how-many-nigerians-live-abroad-says-chairman-nigerian-diaspora-affairs

This although is not a good thing because it shows we do not have a good data base but on the bright side, its gives room for an increase in the demand of nigerian food stuffs which include smoked catfish. Exportation can be divided into two namely formal and informal export. Formal export requires that you have an export license and its capital intensive compared to the informal export . Although payment is more secure for formal export compare to the informal. Nigerian foods stuffs including smoke catfish can be exported both informally and formally. The type of export you are doing will determine the type of packaging you are going to do for your smoked catfish in other to meet the country of destination standard and also for better preservation before and after the date of arrival to the country of destination. for formal exportation the packaging has to be branded and a couple of test which includeds test for PAH has to be carried out on your product before they can be allowed into some destination countries............To be continued .....plenty work dey tomorrow lol

To smoke your fish you are going to need a smoking kiln which seems to be the major equipment in this line of business. there are different kind of smoking kilns with different power sources like firewood, sawdust,charcoal,gas,electricity etc.smoking kiln with firewood or sawdust as there powersource is not always advisable because these two power sources generates alot of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which are toxic materials that can cause cancer when consumed by human. For more information about types of smoking kilns visit http://bethsaidal..com.ng/2014/01/types-of-fish-smoking-oven-avoiding-pahs.html below is a 300kg capacity smoking kiln with dual power source (gas and charcoal) , stainless steel interior , temperature gauge, oil and moisture collector, racks on rollers (trolleys), with a blower powered by DC/solar for uniform temperature distribution in the smoking chamber so your fish can dry uniformly and many more available at bethsaidal farms and agro allied.

Hi OP., thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I have been interested in this business for a while now but do not know how to go about it.

My question are:

1. Is it possible to start from ur home. Like in your compound where u live?

2. If i can start in my house, can i get a smoking kiln that doesn't require charcoal. As the smoke will disturb the other tenants. I need a smoking kiln that uses gas or electricity and doesn't smell out..

3. Is the cat fish going to be live as the thought of it jumping n crawling on the ground creeps me?

4. Can i start with 200,000?

Thanks.. Hope to get a response from you.

@mzdeeb

1. Yes you can start from your home with our kiln you can even use it indoors

2. Yes you can get one without charcoal but I won't advise that because charcoal gives the best taste and aroma of all power sources to smoked fish. Charcoal doesn't create that much mess if you manage it well

3. Yes the fish has to be alive and fresh before you deactive them and prepare for smoking to ensure quality taste

4. Yes you can,infact it's better to start small

MzDeeb:
Hi OP., thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I have been interested in this business for a while now but do not know how to go about it.

My question are:

1. Is it possible to start from ur home. Like in your compound where u live?

2. If i can start in my house, can i get a smoking kiln that doesn't require charcoal. As the smoke will disturb the other tenants. I need a smoking kiln that uses gas or electricity and doesn't smell out..

3. Is the cat fish going to be live as the thought of it jumping n crawling on the ground creeps me?

4. Can i start with 200,000?

Thanks.. Hope to get a response from you.

500kg capacity smoking kiln, abuja bound #gowanjafarms gwagwalada

Etranshub:
@mzdeeb

1. Yes you can start from your home with our kiln you can even use it indoors

2. Yes you can get one without charcoal but I won't advise that because charcoal gives the best taste and aroma of all power sources to smoked fish. Charcoal doesn't create that much mess if you manage it well

3. Yes the fish has to be alive and fresh before you deactive them and prepare for smoking to ensure quality taste

4. Yes you can,infact it's better to start small

Thanks for your response.. I appreciate.

God bless you

How much are you smoking machines?

PapaBrowne:
How much are you smoking machines?

send an email to olowaolugbenga@gmail.com for quotation

Etranshub:
To smoke your fish you are going to need a smoking kiln which seems to be the major equipment in this line of business. there are different kind of smoking kilns with different power sources like firewood, sawdust,charcoal,gas,electricity etc.smoking kiln with firewood or sawdust as there powersource is not always advisable because these two power sources generates alot of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which are toxic materials that can cause cancer when consumed by human. For more information about types of smoking kilns visit http://bethsaidal..com.ng/2014/01/types-of-fish-smoking-oven-avoiding-pahs.html below is a 300kg capacity smoking kiln with dual power source (gas and charcoal) , stainless steel interior , temperature gauge, oil and moisture collector, racks on rollers (trolleys), with a blower powered by DC/solar for uniform temperature distribution in the smoking chamber so your fish can dry uniformly and many more available at bethsaidal farms and agro allied.

How can smoke catfish be marketed.

You will have to do your market research just like one will do for any product he/she is producing but I can assure you the market for smoked fish is highly unsaturated, just ensure to dry proper to give it a good shelf-life,make your package attractive and do not panic-sell nor sell on credit

jeckin205:
How can smoke catfish be marketed.

Hi.

1. How much is the price of the smoking kiln that can contain 100-200 fishes @ once? I need one of not more than 40k-50k.

2. How many kg of catfish do you advise i start with?

3. Whats the cost per kg of catfish in nigeria now.

4. Whats the cost of smoked fish in the market now?

5 Do you sell catfish as well apart from smoking kiln

I need to know these for cost analysis.

Thanks.

Expecting ur reply asap

Etranshub:
500kg capacity smoking kiln, abuja bound #gowanjafarms gwagwalada

Please much does the 500kg kiln go for and what the mode of ordering? I have been in the business of fish smoking from my ponds that did not give a good fish weight, and really got blessed with the info and ad in this tread.

Prices are subject to change due to many factor and because this is a thread that anyone can stumble anytime I can not give prices on here but youi can send an email to olowaolugbenga@gmail.com anytime to get the current quotation for different sizes of our smoking kiln

Alaanyihaji:
Please much does the 500kg kiln go for and what the mode of ordering? I have been in the business of fish smoking from my ponds that did not give a good fish weight, and really got blessed with the info and ad in this tread.

Wow....this is so welcomed.
Pls how long does the drying process take

Good thread, keep it up@ Op

God bless your hustle,

Sincerely

Sir, where do you base. Is it possible to visit your farm/factory.

Kindly forward information on the prices of your Kiln, Capacity (number of fishes and kg)

I hope the kiln are made to use either gas or charcoal in-case one is short in supply of either.

Forward to: heryor@yahoo.com

Thank you

It takes 8 hours

spicy55:
Wow....this is so welcomed.
Pls how long does the drying process take

Amen and you too

TheUnbeatable:

Good thread, keep it up@ Op

God bless your hustle,

Sincerely

Mobile Ponds for sale !

You can start your catfish business right from your home !

what's the price and kg for this?could send details to nattyzeeky@gmail.com if u prefer such mode.

nikaShow:
Cool!
Smoked fish pack available

what's the price and kg for this?could send details to nattyzeeky@gmail.com if u prefer such mode.