§1What this business is

Fresh pea pods are washed, shelled in a pea podder, blanched, sorted on an inspection belt and frozen in a blast freezer. The peas pass a metal detector and are packed in pouches. The model unit makes 1,20,000 kg of frozen peas a year, buying peas at ₹42 a kg and selling at ₹120 a kg.

Capacity: 1,20,000 kg of frozen peas a year, 300 days of 8–10 hours; 50% use in year 1 rising to 70% in year 5.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A grower group or vegetable trader in a pea belt who can buy pods in bulk and has cold storage tie-ups.

Who it is not for

Someone who cannot hold frozen stock for months or has no cold-chain transport.

Advantages

  • Frozen peas sell through the year when fresh peas are not in the market
  • Homes, hotels and caterers all use them
  • The same line can freeze other cut vegetables

Drawbacks

  • Fresh peas come only for a few winter months
  • Freezing and cold storage mean a heavy power bill
  • Machinery alone is about ₹34 L

Skills you need

  • Buying peas at the right maturity
  • Blanching and freezing without losing colour
  • Running freezing and conveyor machines
  • Selling to distributors and institutions

Why difficulty 4/5: Seasonal buying, costly freezing equipment and an unbroken cold chain.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households
  • Hotels, restaurants and caterers
  • Institutional kitchens and retail chains

How it sells

  • Distributors with cold-chain vehicles
  • Supermarkets and kirana shops with freezers
  • Direct supply to hotels and caterers

Good to know

  • The report takes the average selling price at ₹120 a kg.
  • Projected sales: ₹72.00 L in year 1 rising to ₹129.07 L in year 5.
  • Machinery prices in the report are before 18% GST.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Product feeding conveyor1₹1,20,000
Continuous online washer1₹4,50,000
Pea podder1₹3,55,000
Continuous online blancher1₹5,00,000
Sorting / manual inspection conveyor1₹1,40,000
Product elevator conveyor1₹90,000
Vibratory screen conveyor1₹1,50,000
Blast freezer1₹8,50,000
Metal detector1₹35,000
Control panel1₹34,000
Packaging machine1₹1,50,000

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Frozen Peas

  • Fresh green pea podstaken at ₹42 a kg in the report; bought in the winter season from growers and mandis
  • Pouches and cartonspacking material

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Frozen Peas

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. FSSAI licence
  4. Trade licence from the local body
  5. Consent from the State Pollution Control Board where it applies

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§6Schemes & subsidies

Written as a PMFME model; the report's finance plan is subsidy ₹10.00 L, own money ₹13.42 L and term loan ₹16.16 L. The project is within PMEGP's ₹50 L manufacturing ceiling.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant and machinery ₹33.91 L (₹28.74 L + 18% GST) + other fixed assets ₹2.00 L + working capital margin ₹2.95 L + contingencies ₹0.72 L = ₹39.58 L. Land and building are taken as already owned (nil).

Working capital: Working capital need ₹8.84 L in year 1 (30 days of raw material and 30 days of finished stock); margin ₹2.95 L is in the project cost.

Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Frozen vegetables are an APEDA product group; the report plans for the home market.
  • HS code not checked against the DGFT ITC-HS list here — confirm the code before you ship.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • A short or costly pea season
  • Power failure spoiling frozen stock
  • Price cuts by large frozen-food brands
  • Cold-chain breaks on the way to the buyer

§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 green peas 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 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

§12Watch

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

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Sources

  1. NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Frozen Peas

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