Agroindustrial project analysi

158 AGROINDUSTRIAL PROJECT ANALYSIS* Production-line diagrams specified?* Transport, utility, communications, and manpower layouts setforth?Does a master schedule for procurement and processing exist?* Seasonal availability of raw material considered?* Possibility of working multiple shifts?* Alternative uses of production capacity?Are there systematic quality-control procedures for raw materials,work in process, and finished goods?* Inspection system for raw material as it is grown?* Controls for contamination levels, packaging integrity, temperature,and chemical composition?* Sampling procedures? laboratory testing facilities?* Nutritional quality verifiable?* Corrective procedures specified?By-productsOne final aspect of processing is the role of by-products. Unlikeother manufacturing operations, agroindustrial processing generallydisaggregates one raw material, rather than aggregating variousmaterials. The biological nature of the raw material allows itto have many useful parts, and the product often has multiplederivatives. Because by-products can be important in the economicsof agroindustries, they warrant close inspection.Economic valueThe analyst should identify all the outputs of the processing flowbecause almost all have a realizable economic value. Pure wastageshould be minimized, but economic opportunities from possible byproductsare often overlooked, especially in an agroindustry's earlydevelopment. The analyst should look for recoverable but economicallyunexploited by-products. Such an example (cited earlierunder "Selection of Processing Technology. Nutritional consequences.")is discarded mung bean protein used as weaning foodor animal feed. An example of a neglected by-product can be seenin the case of broiler chicken processors in Guyana who initially