§1What this business is

Coriander seed is cleaned of impurities, dried to remove moisture, ground in a spice grinder, sieved and packed in pouches and cartons. The report's line — seed cleaner, dryer, grinder, sieving machine and packaging machine — is rated at 100 kg an hour.

Capacity: 800 kg a day on one 8-hour shift (machines rated at 100 kg an hour). The report starts at 20% of capacity in year 1 and reaches 40% in year 5.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A spice trader, kirana wholesaler or farmer group in a coriander-growing area with ready shop contacts.

Who it is not for

Someone with no way to reach distributors, or who expects a high margin on each kilo.

Advantages

  • Dhaniya powder is a daily-use spice in every Indian kitchen
  • Simple five-machine process: clean, dry, grind, sieve, pack
  • Low break-even (17%) in the report
  • The same line can grind other dry spices when coriander is costly

Drawbacks

  • Raw seed is about 70% of year-1 sales, so the margin per kg is small
  • Many local grinders and big national brands sell the same product
  • Coriander loses its aroma quickly once ground
  • The report runs the plant at only 20–40% of capacity in its five-year plan

Skills you need

  • Buying coriander seed and judging quality
  • Running a dryer and grinder
  • Food hygiene and FSSAI labelling
  • Selling to distributors and kirana shops

Why difficulty 2/5: Simple process; success depends on buying seed well and building a local brand.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households, through kirana and grocery shops
  • Hotels, restaurants and caterers
  • Namkeen, pickle and ready-mix makers
  • Spice wholesalers

How it sells

  • Distributors and kirana shops
  • Direct supply to bulk buyers
  • Online grocery platforms

Good to know

  • The report says coriander and cumin powder have the highest demand after garam masala and red chilli powder.
  • It quotes Indian spice exports of US$ 3.65 billion in FY20.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Seed cleaning machine1—
Dryer1—
Spice grinder1—
Sieving machine1—
Packaging machine1—
All five machines together, 100 kg an hour (including transport)1 set₹12,92,100

From: PMEGP sample project report — Coriander Powder (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Coriander seed (dhaniya)about ₹150–160 a kg in the report
  • Pouch packaging materialfor retail packs
  • Cartonsfor outer packing

From: PMEGP sample project report — Coriander Powder (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST
  3. FSSAI registration or licence
  4. Legal Metrology packaged-commodity registration
  5. AGMARK grading (optional, helps sales)
  6. Trademark for your brand (optional)

We can do this registration for you

Start it in your state

Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP covers manufacturing projects up to ₹50 L, so ₹21.68 L fits; PMFME gives a credit-linked subsidy to micro food-processing units; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹12.92 L + miscellaneous assets ₹1.20 L + working capital ₹7.56 L = ₹21.68 L (land own or rented). Finance in the report's cost table: own money ₹5.59 L (25%), term loan ₹10.59 L, bank working-capital loan ₹5.50 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹7.56 L in the project cost (bank limit ₹5.50 L) — 10 days of raw seed, 10 days of finished stock and 11–14 days of credit to buyers.

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

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: Not verified yet

  • No HS code or export body has been checked against an official list yet.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Seasonal swings in coriander prices
  • Adulteration or quality complaints
  • Stale stock losing aroma and colour
  • Slow payment from distributors

§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 coriander (dhaniya) powder unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST), 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

§12Watch

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

Want to start Coriander (Dhaniya) Powder Unit?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Coriander Powder (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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