This technical memorandum is the seventh of a series being prepared by the ILO; UNIDO and FAO. It is the third of eight technical memoranda on food processing, following the ones on fish processing and oil extraction. The object of the series is to acquaint small-scale producers with a variety of production techniques for specific products and processes so as to help them to choose and apply those techniques that are most appropriate to local socio-economic conditions.

The memorandum provides detailed technical information on different milling techniques for the production of whole meal, bolted meal and super-sifted meal. It covers all processing stages, including grain preparation, shelling, milling, sifting and packaging. The techniques described are mostly of interest to custom mills and small-scale merchant mills located in rural and urban areas. They include various manual shelling techniques, and the use of small-scale plate, stone and hammer mills. Given the focus of the memorandum on small-scale production, roller mill technologies are not covered in detail.

On the other hand, the milling techniques of interest to small-scale mills are described in great detail, including drawings of equipment, floor plans, and labour and skill requirements. A list of equipment suppliers from both developing and developed countries is also supplied in order to help practising or would-be-millers to import the equipment they need.

The first chapter of the memorandum is mostly of interest to public planners and project evaluators from industrial development agencies. It provides in-depth information on the various effects of different maize milling techniques, including the nutritional values of various kinds of maize meal, employment generation, foreign exchange savings, transport costs and backward linkages. It also provides some general guide-lines for the formulation and implementation of measures for the promotion of appropriate maize milling techniques.