§1What this business is
Millets such as foxtail and proso are rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins. The report's unit grinds millet into fine flour, mixes it with sugar, nuts and other ingredients, presses it in dies, bakes it in an oil-fired kiln and packs it in printed pouches. Demand for ready-to-eat health foods has grown, especially after COVID-19.
Capacity: About 62 tonnes a year (0.21 tonne a day, 300 days, one 8-hour shift); year 1 at 65%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with food-processing or bakery skills and links to health stores, schools or FPOs.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot invest in branding and retail distribution.
Advantages
- Strong push for millets from the government
- Health foods sell at a better price
- No pollution is generated, as per the report
- Simple bakery-style process
Drawbacks
- Buyers still prefer wheat and maida biscuits on taste and price
- Needs a food technologist for recipes and shelf life
- Packed snacks need branding and shelf space
- Millet supply and prices vary by season
Skills you need
- Recipe development with millets
- Baking and shelf-life control
- Packaging and labelling
- Retail, online and institutional sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Easy to make; the challenge is taste, shelf life and getting shelf space.
§3Market
Who buys
- Health-conscious families
- Schools, offices and institutions
- Health-food and organic stores
How it sells
- Retail shops and supermarkets
- Online marketplaces
- Institutional supply
Good to know
- The report says India is the largest millet producer with a 41% global share.
- It notes demand for nutrition-based foods rose after COVID-19.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding machine | 1 | ₹2,75,000 |
| Vibrating screen | 1 | ₹55,000 |
| Pressing machine with dies | 2 | ₹2,60,000 |
| Oil-fired kiln | 1 | ₹4,10,000 |
| Semi-automatic packing machine | 1 | ₹65,000 |
| Metal cylinders for printing pouches | 20 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Weighing machine | 1 | ₹15,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Millet based food Products (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Millets, sugar, nuts, cashews, organic seeds, roots, food preservatives and colours62 tonnes a year at full capacity, ₹1,00,000 a tonne (combined)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Millet based food Products (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Deomali Millet Cluster · Koraput →Gajapati Millet And Dal Processing Cluster · Gajapati →Millet Processing And Value Addition Cluster · Ajmer →Mohanpur Millet Magic Cluster · Mayurbhanj →Mukkurumbai Rice And Millets Value Added Products Cluster · Tiruvannamalai →NIFTEM Kundli (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management) · Kundli →NIFTEM Thanjavur (National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management) · Thanjavur →CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru · Mysuru →Organic Millets Cluster, Davanagere · Davanagere →
In our raw material database
Bajra (pearl millet) →Jowar (sorghum) →Ragi (finger millet) →
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- GST registration
- Udyam registration
- State pollution control board NOC
- Trademark for your brand (if needed)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP (the report is a PMEGP sample), PMFME for small food processors (millet products fit its one-district-one-product approach in many districts) and CGTMSE.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report: plant & machinery ₹13.92 lakh (incl. GST), furniture ₹0.50 lakh, pre-operative ₹0.74 lakh, working capital ₹9.33 lakh = ₹24.50 lakh. Shed rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹9.33 lakh, of which bank finance ₹7.00 lakh; 15 days of raw material and 15 days of finished stock.
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: APEDA
- 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
- Slow consumer acceptance
- Competition from big biscuit brands
- Rancidity and short shelf life
- Raw millet price swings
§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 millet-based food products (cookies) unit 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, 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 Millet-Based Food Products (Cookies) Unit?
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.