Description

Groundnut or Peanut is a major crop grown in the arid and semi-arid zone of Nigeria. It is either grown for its nut, oil or its vegetative residue. Recently, the use of groundnut meal is becoming more recognized not only as a dietary supplement for children on protein poor cereal-based diets but also an as effective treatment for children with protein-related malnutrition. It is the 13th most important food crop of the world and the 4th most important source of edible oil. Its seeds contain high-quality edible oil (50%), easily digestible protein (25%) and carbohydrates (20%). The groundnut is harvested, dried, sorted, graded and stored in silos before supply to processors.