§1What this business is

Fresh rohu fish is de-scaled, gutted and washed, chilled at once, blast-frozen and kept in a cold store, then vacuum-packed in 1 kg packets. The report explains that iced fresh carp keeps only 7 to 10 days, while frozen fish keeps much longer, so frozen fish mainly sells in places far from water bodies.

Capacity: 50 kg an hour, 400 kg a day over 300 days; 1,14,000 kg a year after 5% wastage, in 1 kg packets. Year 1 at 60% (68,400 kg), rising to 80% (91,200 kg) in year 5.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone near fish ponds or a fish market who can buy rohu steadily and sell to traders, retailers or hotels in distant towns.

Who it is not for

Someone in an area with poor power supply or no cold-chain transport.

Advantages

  • Freezing turns a 7–10 day product into one that can travel and be stored
  • Rohu is widely eaten across India
  • Machines handle de-scaling, gutting and washing
  • The DPR was made for PMFME

Drawbacks

  • Machinery and cold storage take ₹30.70 L of the ₹37.50 L project
  • Break-even is high (about half of capacity)
  • Needs steady power — a long cut can spoil the whole cold store
  • Fish supply and price change with the harvest season

Skills you need

  • Judging fish freshness
  • Running blast freezers and a cold store
  • Hygiene and temperature records
  • Selling to wholesalers, retailers and HoReCa

Why difficulty 4/5: Costly freezing equipment, high break-even and a cold chain that must never break.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Fish retailers and wholesalers in towns far from water bodies
  • Hotels, restaurants and caterers
  • Supermarkets

How it sells

  • Cold-chain distribution to wholesalers
  • Direct supply to retail chains and HoReCa

Good to know

  • The report says iced fresh carp keeps only 7 to 10 days, so frozen fish mainly sells far from water.
  • Year-1 sales in the report are ₹105.79 L at 60% capacity, at ₹160 per 1 kg pack.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Vacuum packaging machine1₹70,000
Blast freezer (50 kg capacity)1₹3,00,000
Freezer / cold storage (15 ft × 8.5 ft × 9 ft)1₹10,00,000
Gutting machine (50–80 kg)1₹4,50,000
Washmaster washing machine (50–80 kg)1₹3,50,000
Scalemaster de-scaling machine1₹8,50,000
Material handling and other equipmentlot₹50,000

From: NIFTEM-K (MoFPI) PMFME Detailed Project Report – Frozen Fish Unit (2022)

  • Rohu fishcosted at ₹85 a kg in year 1
  • Icefor chilling fish right after receipt
  • Packagingpolyethylene bags or wraps packed in waxed duplex cartons, as the report describes

From: NIFTEM-K (MoFPI) PMFME Detailed Project Report – Frozen Fish Unit (2022)

Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar

Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Cochin · Kochi →Export Inspection Agency Laboratory, Pilot Test House, Mumbai · Mumbai →Export Inspection Agency, Kochi (laboratory) · Kochi →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST registration
  4. State Pollution Control Board consent (fish waste and wastewater)
  5. MPEDA registration and Export Inspection Council approval if you export
  6. Legal Metrology registration for packed goods

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME fits first (the DPR was written for it; the report caps the subsidy at ₹10 L). PMEGP and CGTMSE fit a ₹37.50 L project; MUDRA covers loans up to ₹20 L.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹30.70 L + miscellaneous fixed assets ₹0.80 L + working capital ₹6.00 L = ₹37.50 L. Premises rented (not costed).

Working capital: Working capital ₹6.00 L in the project cost, with a bank limit of ₹5.40 L; 10 days of raw material and finished stock, 7 days' credit to buyers and from suppliers.

NIFTEM-K model DPR for PMFME, published 2022 (no year printed inside) — 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

0303.25Carp (including Labeo spp. such as rohu), frozen

Export council / board: MPEDA

  • The report says most of India's fish exports are frozen.
  • Fishery exports need approval from the Export Inspection Council.
  • Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Power failure in the cold store
  • Seasonal supply gaps
  • Price competition from fresh fish sellers
  • Quality rejection if the cold chain breaks

§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 frozen fish 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 (FSSAI licence, Udyam registration), 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 Frozen Fish Unit?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. NIFTEM-K (MoFPI) PMFME Detailed Project Report – Frozen Fish Unit (2022)

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