§1What this business is
Unripe mangoes are washed, peeled, sliced, dried, ground and sieved into a pale sour powder used in chaat, curries, pickles and spice mixes. Ten kg of raw mango gives one kg of amchur. The model unit makes 120 tonnes a year.
Capacity: 120 tonnes of amchur a year at 300 days; use rises from 60% to 90%. At 90% the unit needs 3.6 tonnes of raw mango a day (10% yield).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A spice processor or FPO in a mango belt that can buy unripe fruit in bulk in season.
Who it is not for
Someone without storage for a whole year's dried stock.
Advantages
- Uses small, fallen and unripe mangoes that fetch little
- Amchur stores well and sells all year
- Every spice maker and chaat seller uses it
Drawbacks
- Raw mango is available for only a few weeks
- Ten kg of fruit for one kg of powder
- Thin margin — ₹2.61 L profit in the first working year
Skills you need
- Peeling and slicing at speed in season
- Drying without browning
- Fine grinding and sieving
- Selling to spice packers
Why difficulty 2/5: Simple dry-and-grind work; the season is short and margins are thin.
§3Market
Who buys
- Spice and masala packers
- Chaat, snack and pickle makers
- Households, hotels and caterers
How it sells
- Spice wholesalers in mandis
- Bulk supply to masala brands
- Retail packs through kirana stores
Good to know
- The DPR sets the sale price at ₹150 a kg.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Weighing scale | 1 | ₹1.00 lakh |
| Washer | 1 | ₹2.50 lakh |
| Slicer | 1 | ₹2.50 lakh |
| Stainless steel tanks | 2 | ₹1.00 lakh |
| Dryer | 1 | ₹5.00 lakh |
| Grinder | 1 | ₹4.00 lakh |
| Siever | 1 | ₹1.50 lakh |
| Packing machine | 1 | ₹2.50 lakh |
| Knives, peelers, cutting table and similar tools | — | ₹1.00 lakh |
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Amchur Powder
- Raw (unripe) mangoescosted at ₹10 a kg; 10 kg makes 1 kg of amchur
- Pouches and cartonspacking material
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Amchur Powder
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- FSSAI licence or registration
- Trade licence from the local body
- Legal Metrology registration for packed goods
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
The DPR is written for the PMFME scheme and assumes its 35% credit-linked subsidy (up to ₹10 lakh) with a bank term loan. At this size the project is also within PMEGP's ₹50 lakh manufacturing ceiling; MUDRA and CGTMSE can support the loan.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Total project cost ₹35.90 L (rounded) = extra built-up area ₹4.00 L + machinery ₹21.00 L + utilities ₹2.00 L + miscellaneous fixed assets ₹2.00 L + pre-operative ₹0.50 L + contingencies ₹2.00 L + working capital margin ₹4.36 L.
Working capital: Working capital margin ₹4.36 L in the project cost; working capital requirement ₹17.42 L, ₹21.39 L and ₹24.37 L in the first three working years.
Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: Spices Board
- The DPR prints no HS code or export figure — confirm the ITC-HS code on the DGFT site before you quote to a foreign buyer.
§9Risks — where people fail
- A poor mango crop
- Powder darkening or caking in storage
- Adulterated cheap amchur in the market
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working amchur (dry mango powder) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.