§1What this business is
Woven jute fabric is fixed on printing tables, screen-printed, washed and dried, then cut to size and stitched on lock-stitch machines. PVC buckles or bamboo handles are attached by hand and the bags are packed. Little technology is needed.
Capacity: 1,00,000 printed bags a year (333 a day, one 8-hour shift, 300 days).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Women's groups or tailors near Kolkata or other jute markets, or anyone with corporate gift orders.
Who it is not for
Someone without design sense or bulk buyers.
Advantages
- Eco-friendly product replacing plastic bags
- Very low machinery cost (₹1.2 lakh)
- Demand steady through the year, says the report
- Domestic and export buyers
Drawbacks
- Labour-heavy; wages are the biggest cost
- Profit flat as wages rise
- Jute fabric comes mainly from eastern India
- Cheap non-woven bags compete
Skills you need
- Screen printing
- Cutting and stitching
- Design and colour choice
- Selling to shops, brands and exporters
Why difficulty 2/5: Simple tools and skills; margins depend on keeping workers busy.
§3Market
Who buys
- Shoppers and retail stores
- Companies for gifts and events
- Exporters
How it sells
- Bulk orders from stores and brands
- Exhibitions and online sales
Good to know
- The report notes many makers around Kolkata, with jute supply and port access there.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lock stitch machine | 6 | ₹28,200 |
| Wooden printing table | 2 | ₹25,000 |
| Screens of different designs | 30 | ₹10,500 |
| Cottage steamer | 1 | ₹16,500 |
| Dye paste stirrers | 4 | ₹14,400 |
| Rubber wipers, water drums, tubs, mugs, buckets, clips, stools, tables, scissors, tapes and fittings | 1 lot | ₹1,19,550 for all equipment |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Jute bag making (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Woven jute fabric₹10 a metre in the report's list
- Dye stuff, printing gum, chemicals and auxiliariesdye at ₹550 a kg
- PVC buckles or bamboo sticks₹1.50 each
- Sewing thread, labels and packingbought locally
From: PMEGP sample project report — Jute bag making (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Bahugram Jute Cluster · Cuttack →Handicraft And Jute Cluster · Fatehpur →Indore Mahila Garment Leather Toys And Jute Product Cluster · Indore →Jute & Banana Natural Fiber Cluster · Purnia →Jute Craft Cluster · Khandwa →Kalyani Jute Cluster · Baleshwar →Lucknow Jute Products Cluster · Lucknow →Urnati Jute Cluster · Puri →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Trademark for your brand name (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
Prepared for PMEGP; a MUDRA Kishore loan covers ₹9.09 L.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Building & civil work (2,000 sq ft) ₹4.00 L + plant & machinery ₹1.20 L + furniture ₹0.30 L + working capital ₹3.59 L = ₹9.09 L. Term loan ₹4.95 L, working-capital finance ₹3.23 L, own ₹0.91 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹3.59 L (bank ₹3.21–3.23 L): 15 days of stock, most of the rest owed by buyers.
Year not printed in the report — check current machinery and raw-material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Jute Products Development and Export Promotion Council (JPDEPC)
- Shopping bags with handles are usually entered under 4202; plain sacks under 6305.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Jute fabric price rise
- Orders drying up
- Print quality rejections
- Rising wages
§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 printed jute bag making unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), 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 Printed Jute Bag Making?
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.