DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FISH FEED PELLETIZING SYSTEM: AN IMPROVEMENT ON AN EXISTING DESIGN
Abstract
One of the major problem in aquaculture enterprises in developing countries is the high cost in fish
feed production for small and medium scale farmers. This study involves the redesigning,
fabricating, testing and performance evaluation of a fish feed pelletizing system which will be on
strictly addressing the challenges facing the existing design which are high energy consumption,
poor machine part and low functionality of the cutting mechanism. All the challenges result to
inconsistent pellet size, low quality of feed and high consumption of energy. Key modifications
incorporated include: (i) redesigning of the screw conveyor by increasing the pitch (ii) redesigning
and fabricating the cutting mechanism for precise cutting. The improved system retains the
advantages of local fabrication and uses electrical power operation while delivering pellet quality
comparable to industrial extruders. The modifications offer a replicable, low-cost pathway for
upgrading existing small-scale pelletizing units, thereby enhancing feed availability, reducing
aquaculture production costs, and promoting sustainable fish farming in resource-limited settings.
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