§1What this business is

Dry apricot seeds (kernels) hold 40–50% oil. They are pressed in an oil expeller and the oil is filtered and packed. The light, nutty oil sells for skin and hair care, massage and aromatherapy, and some grades for cooking. Kernels that were once thrown away become the raw material.

Capacity: 75 litres of oil a day in a 10-hour shift; year 1 at 30% capacity.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone in or near an apricot-growing hill area, or with buyers among cosmetic and Ayurveda brands.

Who it is not for

Someone without a steady kernel supply.

Advantages

  • Low machinery cost
  • Growing demand for natural cosmetic oils
  • Uses a by-product of apricot-growing areas
  • Simple pressing and filtering

Drawbacks

  • Kernel supply mostly from hill states (Himachal, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, J&K)
  • Thin net margin
  • Cosmetic buyers want tested, consistent oil
  • Imported oil competes on price

Skills you need

  • Kernel buying and storage
  • Expeller operation and filtering
  • Quality testing
  • Selling to cosmetic brands

Why difficulty 2/5: Small, simple unit; the hard part is steady kernel supply and buyers.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Cosmetic, skin-care and hair-care brands
  • Ayurveda and aromatherapy makers
  • Massage and spa businesses
  • Health-food buyers for culinary grade

How it sells

  • Bulk supply to brands
  • Own brand through chemists and online
  • Wholesale essential-oil traders

Good to know

  • The report links demand to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, aromatherapy and food.
  • There are cosmetic and culinary grades of the oil (report).

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Oil press (expeller) machine1₹4,50,000
Filter machine1₹50,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Apricot Oil Processing Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Dry apricot seeds (kernels)40–50% oil content
  • Packing material

From: PMEGP sample project report — Apricot Oil Processing Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence for edible oil
  2. Cosmetics manufacturing licence from the state drug controller if sold as a cosmetic
  3. Udyam
  4. GST

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

Made for PMEGP; PMFME fits if you make edible oil as a micro food unit.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹5.00 L, furniture ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹4.29 L = ₹10.79 L; land own or rented.

Working capital: ₹4.29 L — 15 days of seed and 15 days of oil in stock and 15 days' credit to buyers; bank finance ₹3.86 L.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

1515.90Other fixed vegetable fats and oils and their fractions
  • HS codes are from the WCO HS 2022 list; confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Kernel shortage or price rise
  • Adulteration complaints
  • Small market for a niche oil
  • Shelf-life (rancidity)

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working apricot kernel oil unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence for edible oil, Cosmetics manufacturing licence from the state drug controller if sold as a cosmetic), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Apricot Kernel Oil?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Apricot Oil Processing Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.