§1What this business is
Green vegetables are cheap for 3–4 months and scarce the rest of the year. The unit washes, cuts, blanches and dries them in a fluidised-bed dryer, then packs them in moisture-proof bags. Dehydrated vegetables sell at a premium off-season to supermarkets, hotels and caterers. The report uses CFTRI know-how; the input-output ratio is about 4:1.
Capacity: 0.5 MT a day, 150 MT a year (one shift, 300 days); 60% use in year 1.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone near a vegetable mandi or growing belt with links to hotels, caterers or modern retail.
Who it is not for
Someone far from vegetable farms or without a reliable power supply.
Advantages
- Turns a glut of cheap seasonal vegetables into a year-round product
- Good margin in the report (year-1 net profit ₹15.10 L)
- Hotels, caterers and supermarkets buy regularly
- Proven CFTRI technology
Drawbacks
- Needs 50 HP power and steady water
- Packing must be perfect — any fungus ruins the batch
- Indian households still prefer fresh vegetables
- Raw material price and mix change with the season
Skills you need
- Blanching and drying control
- Food hygiene and moisture-proof packing
- Seasonal buying at mandi
- Selling to HoReCa and retail chains
Why difficulty 3/5: Technology is proven; drying control, packing and steady sales take effort.
§3Market
Who buys
- Departmental stores, supermarkets and malls
- Restaurants, star hotels and caterers
- Urban households with busy schedules
How it sells
- Retail placement backed by publicity
- Regular supply tie-ups with hotels and caterers
Good to know
- Peas, cauliflower, carrot and spinach fetch good prices in the lean season (report).
- Locate near a Krishi Utpadan Mandi or in a suburban area to buy cheaply (report).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Washing tanks with cubers and slicers | 1 | ₹1.50 lakh |
| Blanching tank with thermostat control | 1 | ₹3.50 lakh |
| Stacking trays for vegetables | 1 lot | ₹30,000 |
| Pre-cooling facility | 1 lot | ₹2.25 lakh |
| Vibratory shakers | 1 | ₹75,000 |
| Fluidised-bed dryer with attachments and electricals | 1 | ₹5.00 lakh |
| Hot-water boiler with attachments | 1 | ₹2.00 lakh |
| Automatic form-fill-seal machines | 2 | ₹2.00 lakh |
| Testing equipment | 1 lot | ₹75,000 |
| Electrification | 1 lot | ₹75,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Dehydrated Vegetables (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Fresh cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, carrot and other vegetables200 tonnes a year at ₹35,000 a tonne in the cost table (₹70.00 L)
- Packing — plastic bags, corrugated boxes, strapping, labels₹5.25 L a year at full capacity
From: PMEGP sample project report — Dehydrated Vegetables (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence (the report cites central licensing under the 2011 regulations)
- Udyam
- GST
- Legal Metrology packaged commodity registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- AIFCentralUnclear3% interest subvention, up to ₹2 crore
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMFME and PMEGP fit; AIF can support post-harvest processing near farms; MUDRA and CGTMSE for loans.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹18.80 L + furniture ₹0.50 L + pre-operative ₹0.52 L + working capital ₹5.18 L = ₹25.00 L. Land 500 sq m leased; shed rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.18 L (bank finance ₹4.66 L); 30 days of raw material and 7 days of finished goods.
Year not printed on the sample report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- 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
- Vegetable price swings
- Fungal spoilage in storage
- Power cuts during drying
- FSSAI central licence compliance
§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 dehydrated vegetables unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence (the report cites central licensing under the 2011 regulations), Udyam), 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 Dehydrated Vegetables?
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.