§1What this business is
Coir dust is washed, heat-treated, screened and graded, then pressed into 650 g briquettes. A one-litre block expands to about 8 litres with 2 litres of water. Briquettes are shrink-wrapped, with or without labels, for export, nurseries, home gardens and greenhouses.
Capacity: 700 tons of briquettes a year (1 shift, 200 days). Sale ₹18,000 a ton; raw pith ₹6,000 a ton in the technical section.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone near pith supply who can sell to garden retail or exporters.
Who it is not for
Someone without water for washing or a packing set-up.
Advantages
- Light, compact product — cheap to ship
- Popular with home gardeners
- Export demand for shrink-wrapped briquettes
- Uses a coir by-product
Drawbacks
- Washing and heat treatment add water and fuel cost
- Only 200 working days in the profile
- Quality rejections if salts are not washed out
Skills you need
- Washing and heat treatment
- Press operation
- Retail packing and labelling
- Online and export selling
Why difficulty 2/5: Straightforward process; success depends on clean pith and good packing.
§3Market
Who buys
- Nurseries and greenhouses
- Home gardeners
- Exporters
How it sells
- Garden centres and online marketplaces
- Bulk export orders
Good to know
- The profile notes very high water holding (500–600% of dry weight) as the selling point.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 650 g briquette making machine | 1 | ₹13,00,000 |
| Screener, 10 ft, 2 HP | 1 | ₹1,60,000 |
| Other accessories including well and 3 HP pump set | — | ₹1,45,000 |
From: PMEGP project profile — Coir Pith Briquette Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018)
- Coir pith (coir dust)₹6,000 a ton (technical section); washed, heat treated and graded
- Shrink-wrap film and labelsfor export packs
From: PMEGP project profile — Coir Pith Briquette Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Registration with the Coir Board (needed to export; also opens Coir Board schemes)
- State Pollution Control Board consent (check the category for your process)
- IEC code if you export
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP (this profile was made for it), MUDRA loans up to ₹20 lakh and CGTMSE cover fit; Stand-Up India suits women and SC/ST founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Coir Board profile: work shed ₹4.00 lakh + machinery ₹16.05 lakh + working capital ₹4.95 lakh = ₹25.00 lakh.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.95 lakh (bank ₹4.70 lakh).
Prices from June 2018 — machinery costs will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Coir Board
- Coir exporters register with the Coir Board and take its registration-cum-membership certificate.
- Confirm the exact 8-digit code in the DGFT ITC-HS schedule before you ship.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Rain during drying
- Price competition from big cocopeat exporters
- Machine breakdown in peak season
- Pith supply
§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 coir pith briquettes (cocopeat pellets) 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
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 Coir Pith Briquettes (Cocopeat Pellets)?
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.