§1What this business is
Dried asafoetida resin is pulverised, blended with edible fillers (rice flour and turmeric) in a ribbon blender, filled into small bottles, weighed, passed through a metal detector and packed in cartons. Hing is a daily tempering spice in dal, curries and pickles across India, especially in vegetarian cooking.
Capacity: 90 kg a day, 27,000 kg a year (5,40,000 packets of 50 g) at full capacity; year 1 at 45%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in the spice trade with distributor links.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot judge resin quality or afford costly stock.
Advantages
- Used in kitchens all over India
- Small machinery list
- High value per kg
- Easy to sell through kirana and spice distributors
Drawbacks
- Resin is imported and expensive (₹8,000 a kg in the report)
- Thin net margin
- Adulteration scandals hurt buyer trust
- Strong regional and national brands
Skills you need
- Judging resin quality
- Blending to a steady strength
- Food safety and labelling
- Distribution to kirana stores
Why difficulty 3/5: Simple process, but costly raw material and brand-led selling.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households
- Restaurants, caterers and pickle makers
- Food processors
How it sells
- Kirana stores through spice distributors
- Supermarkets and online grocery
- Bulk packs for HoReCa
Good to know
- The report says hing is used in Punjabi and South Indian vegetarian cooking, in dal and potato and cauliflower dishes, and in pickling.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Grinder (stainless steel body) | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Metal detector | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Ribbon blender, 50 kg mixing capacity | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Conveyor | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Other tools and equipment | 1 lot | ₹50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Asafoetida Powder (Hing) (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Dried asafoetida resin2,800 kg a year at ₹8,000 a kg (full capacity)
- Rice flour14,000 kg at ₹12 a kg
- Turmeric8,500 kg at ₹100 a kg
- Bottles, caps and cartons₹3,60,000 a year
From: PMEGP sample project report — Asafoetida Powder (Hing) (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam
- GST
- Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods
- Trademark for your brand (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
Made for PMEGP; PMFME supports spice units as micro food enterprises.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: building/shed 1,000 sq ft ₹5.00 L, plant & machinery ₹6.50 L, furniture ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹5.56 L = ₹18.56 L.
Working capital: ₹5.56 L in the project cost; bank working capital ₹5.00 L for 5 days of raw material and 7 days of finished goods. Resin is costly (₹8,000 a kg), so stock ties up money fast.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Spices Board India
- 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
- Resin price and import supply
- Adulteration or quality complaints
- Brand competition
- Strong smell contaminating other products
§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 hing (asafoetida) powder 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, 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 Hing (Asafoetida) Powder?
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.