§1What this business is

Popped makhana is cleaned, weighed, roasted in a three-layer roaster, coated with oil and seasoning in a flavour drum and packed with nitrogen in metallised pouches, flexible cans or tins. Flavoured makhana sells through supermarkets, dry-fruit and grocery stores, cafés, online and export. Bihar produces about 63% of India's makhana (report).

Capacity: 200 kg a day, 60,000 kg a year; 27,000 kg in year 1 (45%).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A food entrepreneur near makhana sources (Bihar, Manipur) or with strong retail and online selling.

Who it is not for

Someone with little working capital or no branding plan.

Advantages

  • Makhana is a fast-rising healthy snack
  • High value per kg
  • Strong export interest
  • Fits PMFME and one-district-one-product support in makhana areas

Drawbacks

  • Raw makhana prices have risen sharply and swing
  • Costly packing line (multi-head packer ₹15.00 L)
  • Many new brands crowd the market
  • Needs moisture control and nitrogen packing

Skills you need

  • Roasting and seasoning recipes
  • Nitrogen packing and shelf-life control
  • Brand and online marketing
  • Buying raw makhana at the right time

Why difficulty 3/5: Costly machines and a crowded branded market need good marketing.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Supermarkets and modern retail
  • Dry-fruit and grocery stores
  • Cafés, airlines and corporate pantries
  • Online shoppers and exporters

How it sells

  • Distributors and modern-trade chains
  • Online marketplaces and own website
  • Export buyers

Good to know

  • The report puts the Indian ready-to-eat snacks and namkeen market at more than ₹50,000 crore, growing at about 13% a year.
  • It says 100 g of makhana has 350 kcal and 9.7 g protein, and sees strong export demand in Europe, USA, Japan and Australia.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Three-layer roaster (12+1 kW) with accessories1₹6,00,000
Vibrator with hopper1₹1,00,000
Conveyor1₹1,00,000
Seasoning tank (200 L)1₹1,50,000
Seasoning drum1₹2,25,000
Multi-head packing machine with table and accessories1₹15,00,000
Nitrogen plant (8 NM³)1₹3,50,000
Air dryer cum compressor (40 CFM)1₹1,50,000
De-humidifier1₹1,75,000
Other machines and equipment1 lot₹50,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Makhana Snacks (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Popped makhana (fox nut)60 MT a year at ₹4,00,000 per MT at full capacity
  • Seasoning / flavour8 MT at ₹1,50,000 per MT
  • Edible oil10 MT at ₹80,000 per MT
  • Packing material (metallised pouches, cans, tins)₹5.00 lakh a year

From: PMEGP sample project report — Makhana Snacks (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

In our raw material database

Makhana (fox nut) →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover)
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST
  4. NOC from the State Pollution Control Board
  5. Trademark for your brand

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP fits (project under ₹50 L); PMFME for micro food units; CGTMSE; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant and machinery ₹34.00 L, furniture ₹1.00 L, working capital ₹5.56 L = ₹40.56 L; land and shed own or rented (not costed).

Working capital: Raw makhana at ₹4,00,000 per MT is most of the cost (₹240.00 L of ₹265.00 L raw material at full use); working capital ₹5.56 L (bank ₹5.00 L).

Year not printed on the report — 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

2008.19Nuts and other seeds, otherwise prepared or preserved, including mixtures

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Makhana has its own tariff lines in some recent schedules — confirm the current line with DGFT.
  • 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

  • Raw makhana price spikes
  • Brand competition
  • Soggy product from poor packing
  • Marketing spend

§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 roasted makhana snacks 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 or registration (by turnover), 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 Roasted Makhana Snacks?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Makhana Snacks (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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