Compound Feed Mill Plant in Myanmar

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First Contact: What the Client Actually Asked

We got an inquiry through our website back in early March 2024. The client was a medium-sized agribusiness based in Yangon. They already had a small mixing line—maybe 3–5 tons per hour—but it was old, inefficient, and couldn’t handle steam conditioning properly. Their words: “We lose too much feed quality during the rainy season. And our shrimp farmers complain about floating pellets.”

They wanted to expand into both floating fish feed and sinking pellets for shrimp and pigs. The target was 20 tons per hour, running three shifts, 320 days a year. That’s roughly 150,000 tons annually.

We spent the first two weeks just talking about raw materials. Not just the list—but where they’d source them, how they’d store them, and what the moisture content looked like during monsoon season. Because in Myanmar, that’s a real problem. You can’t just copy a European or Chinese design and expect it to work.

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Why Myanmar? Market Reality Behind This Investment

Myanmar has a growing aquaculture sector—especially in Ayeyarwady and Yangon regions. Shrimp farming has picked up, and catfish production is steady. But here’s the thing: most local feed mills are small, outdated, or rely on imported feed from Thailand and Vietnam. That adds cost.

The government has also been pushing for more domestic feed production to reduce imports. So when this client ran the numbers, they saw a clear gap. A modern 20 t/h compound feed mill plant could supply better quality feed at a lower price than imported stuff—while still making a healthy margin.

And because Myanmar has plenty of corn, rice bran, broken rice, and fishmeal (local production in Rakhine and Tanintharyi), raw material access isn’t the bottleneck. The bottleneck is processing technology—especially steam control, fine grinding, and fat coating.

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What They Wanted to Produce

The client needed two main product lines from the same 20 t/h compound feed mill plant:

The floating feed required higher starch gelatinization—so extrusion and proper steam conditioning were critical. The sinking pellets needed good water stability (at least 2 hours in water without breaking). Both demanded fine grinding, precise mixing, and consistent pellet hardness.

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Raw Materials – What Goes Into the 20 t/h Compound Feed Mill Plant

The client’s raw material list was actually quite diverse. They didn’t rely on just one or two ingredients. That’s smart—it gives flexibility when prices fluctuate.

Here’s the full breakdown they gave us during the initial technical discussion:

The biggest challenge? Corn and sorghum moisture. During the wet season, we measured incoming moisture as high as 18–20%. That’s too wet for stable pelleting. So we had to adjust the design—added more drying capacity in the cooler section and recommended they build a covered drying yard for incoming grains. Not glamorous, but necessary.

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Equipment Line – What We Supplied for This 20 t/h Compound Feed Mill Plant

We didn’t just ship a bunch of machines. We designed the whole flow from receiving to bagging. Here’s the actual equipment list (no model numbers—just what matters):

The boiler was a point of discussion. They initially wanted a coal boiler (cheaper fuel), but Myanmar’s environmental regulations are tightening. We convinced them to go with natural gas. Yes, operating cost is slightly higher—but no coal ash disposal, no heavy dust, and easier permitting. Long-term, it was the right call.

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Plant Layout – Working With Limited Space

The client had about 1.5 hectares (15,299 m²) total. That’s not huge for a 20 t/h compound feed mill plant. We had to be clever.

Here’s what the site layout looked like after we finished the design:

• Main production building: 6 floors, 1,497 m² footprint. That’s where grinding, mixing, pelleting, extrusion, drying, and cooling happen.
• Raw material & finished product warehouse: 2 floors, 2,448 m². Ground floor for incoming bags/bulk, upper floor for bagged finished feed.
• Bulk storage silos: 1 floor, 182 m² – just for corn, wheat, and sorghum.
• Unloading shed: 182 m² – covered, with dust collection points.
• Boiler house: 120 m² – separated from main plant for safety.
• Office: 5 floors, 360 m² footprint – not fancy, but functional.
• Staff building: 5 floors, 240 m² – ground floor canteen, upper floors for dormitories (50 workers, 3 shifts).

We put the boiler on the southwest side, away from the main air intake of the production building. The office and staff building are on the southeast side—upwind from the unloading area. Small detail, but it keeps the office dust-free.

One thing the client appreciated: we left space for future expansion. The east side of the warehouse can be extended by another 800 m² without disrupting current operations.

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Process Flow – How the 20 t/h Compound Feed Mill Plant Actually Runs

Let me walk you through the real sequence. Not a textbook diagram—what actually happens on the floor.

Step 1: Intake and cleaning
Trucks dump corn or sorghum into the receiving pit. A scraper conveyor moves it to a bucket elevator, then to a drum pre-cleaner. The cleaner removes corn cobs, husks, stones, and any metal. Those impurities? Corn cobs get crushed and go back into the line as fiber source. Metal scrap goes to a bin for disposal.

Step 2: Grinding
Clean grain drops into hammer mills for coarse grinding (for pig feed) or ultra-fine grinders for shrimp feed. The shrimp feed requires 0.5 mm particle size—otherwise pellets disintegrate in water.

Step 3: Batching and mixing
Ground materials go to overhead bins. The control system weighs each ingredient automatically—corn, soybean meal, fishmeal, additives, all in sequence. Then into the ribbon mixer. Mix time: 3–4 minutes per batch. Target CV (coefficient of variation) below 5%.
We added a liquid injection port for molasses and oil during mixing. Not all feed mills do this—but for energy-dense shrimp feed, it helps.

Step 4: Conditioning and pelleting (sinking line)
For sinking pellets: mixed meal goes into a conditioner. Steam (from the 10 t/h gas boiler) is injected at 85–90°C, raising moisture to about 17%. Then into the sinking fish feed machine. Die size: 2.0–5.0 mm depending on target species.

Step 5: Extrusion (floating line)
For floating fish feed: the mixed meal goes through a floating fish feed extruder machine. High temperature (120–130°C) and pressure, then sudden expansion. That creates the porous structure that floats. After extrusion, the pellets go through a mesh belt dryer (80–90°C) to reduce moisture from 25–28% down to 10–12%.

Step 6: Cooling
Both sinking and floating pellets pass through a counterflow cooler. Ambient air is pulled through the pellet bed, dropping temperature to within 5°C of room temperature. This also removes surface moisture.

Step 7: Fat coating
After cooling, pellets go into a fat coater. Fish oil or soybean oil is sprayed at room temperature—no smoke, no fumes. For shrimp feed, we add up to 6% oil. For floating fish feed, about 3–4%.

Step 8: Grading and bagging
Pellets pass through a multi-deck sieve. Oversize pellets go back to the grinder. Fines go back to the mixer. Correct-size pellets drop into a bagging scale—usually 25 kg or 50 kg woven bags, heat-sealed with a liner to prevent moisture pickup during storage.

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Utility Consumption – Real Numbers From the First Month of Operation

After commissioning (August 2024), we tracked actual usage for 30 days:

The boiler was running at about 75% load on average. Not maxed out—that leaves room for future expansion.

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Environmental Controls – What We Did Differently

Myanmar doesn’t have the same strict emission laws as Europe or China. But the client wanted to future-proof the plant. Also, the factory is near a small village—about 500 meters away. Dust and odor complaints would shut them down fast.

So we installed:

• Pulse bag filters at every transfer point, grinder, and mixer outlet. Collected dust goes back into the process—no waste.
• Bio-scrubbers on the extruder and dryer exhausts. These use microorganisms to break down volatile organic compounds. Smells like wet earth, not fish.
• Alkali scrubber on the boiler flue gas. Removes SO₂. Natural gas is clean, but this gives an extra safety margin.
• Three-stage settling tank for washdown water. The final stage feeds into the municipal sewer (after testing showed it met local standards).

The client also built a covered sludge drying bed next to the boiler house. Scrubber sludge dries there and gets mixed into non-food animal feed. Zero liquid discharge.

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What the First Few Weeks of Production Looked Like

Commissioning started in late July 2024. The first few tons of floating feed? Too soft. They sank after 30 seconds. The client was not happy.

We traced it to two issues:

1. The extruder screw configuration was too aggressive—over-expanded the pellets, creating large air pockets that collapsed during drying.
2. The animal feed dryer temperature profile was uneven. One zone was running 10°C hotter than the setpoint.

Our team spent three days adjusting screw profiles and recalibrating the dryer thermocouples. By the fourth day, we had floating pellets that stayed up for 12 hours. The client’s fish farmer friend tested them in a pond—came back with a thumbs-up.

Sinking pellets for shrimp were easier. The animal feed pellet mill ran smoothly from day one. But we did have a blockage issue in the cooler discharge. The counterflow cooler’s rotary valve was undersized for the 20 t/h rate. We swapped it for a larger model (shipped via DHL express from our warehouse in Bangkok—arrived in 4 days). After that, no more jams.

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Staff Training – A Detail Most Suppliers Skip

We didn’t just hand over a manual and leave. Two of our engineers stayed on-site for 15 days after commissioning. We trained:

• Shift supervisors on the PLC control system (how to adjust steam flow, die clearance, extruder screw speed).
• Maintenance crew on bearing lubrication schedules, hammer mill screen changes, and how to spot early wear on pellet mill dies.
• Quality control staff on moisture testing (using a portable oven method) and pellet durability testing (Holmen tester).

The client’s production manager told us later: “The first week after your team left, we had a bearing failure on elevator #7. Your manual had the part number. We bought locally and fixed it in 4 hours. That never would have happened before.”

That’s the kind of feedback we actually care about.

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Logistics – Shipping From China to Myanmar

All equipment was shipped from Qingdao Port to Yangon’s Thilawa Port. Transit time: about 12–14 days depending on weather and port congestion.

Thilawa is actually well-equipped. They have a dedicated berth for project cargo. We packed everything in 40-foot high-cube containers and flat racks for the larger items (the pellet mill and extruder barrels).

The client handled customs clearance themselves—we provided all the commercial invoices, packing lists, and HS codes. Their local agent cleared everything in 5 days. No major delays.

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Project Investment – What the Client Actually Paid (USD)

The client financed this partly through a local bank (60% loan at 11% interest over 5 years) and partly from retained earnings. Their payback calculation showed about 2.5 years at full capacity.

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What Would We Do Differently Next Time?

Honest reflection:

• The cooler rotary valve should have been sized larger from the start. We spec’d it based on bulk density at room temperature—didn’t account for slight expansion during cooling. That’s on us.
• We should have recommended a magnet separator before the hammer mills. The client had one, but it was weak. A small nail got through and damaged screen #3 on the second day. We replaced the screen under warranty, but still—could have been avoided.
• More training on moisture management. The operators initially ran the dryer too hot because they were afraid of high moisture. That burned some pellets. We had to add a second training session just on dryer controls.

But overall? The animal feed mill plant is running at 18–19 tons per hour after three months—not quite 20 yet, but close. The client is happy. They’ve already started selling feed to three cooperatives in Ayeyarwady.

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Why This 20 t/h Compound Feed Mill Plant Makes Sense in Myanmar

Myanmar imports about 40% of its aquafeed from Thailand. That’s expensive—and unreliable during monsoon season when roads flood. Local production at this scale can undercut imports by 15–20% while offering fresher product.

Also, the government’s Myanmar Aquaculture Development Plan 2025 specifically calls for domestic feed production to reach 1.5 million tons annually. We’re still far from that. So there’s room for more plants.

Raw materials? Myanmar grows enough corn (2.5 million tons/year), rice bran, and broken rice to support multiple 20 t/h compound feed mill plants. Fishmeal production is increasing too—though quality varies. The client actually built a small fishmeal plant next door last year. Smart vertical integration.

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Thinking About Your Own Project?

If you’re reading this and running numbers in your head—good. That’s exactly what you should be doing.

Every site is different. Your raw materials might be wetter, drier, or have different oil content. Your space might be tighter. Your target species might be different (poultry? cattle? shrimp?).

We don’t copy-paste designs. We ask questions first. Then we run mass balances. Then we simulate the line in our engineering software. Only then do we cut steel.

And we don’t disappear after shipping. Our after-sales team speaks English (and some Burmese, through our partner in Yangon). We keep spare parts for pellet mill dies, hammer mill screens, and extruder screws in our Bangkok warehouse—just a few days away from Myanmar.

So if you’re planning a new animal feed production line, or upgrading an old one, get in touch. Send us your raw material list and your target output. We’ll send back a preliminary layout and equipment list—no charge, no obligation.