§1What this business is

Produce that is cooled within hours of harvest lasts much longer in the cold chain. A pre-cooling unit uses forced cold air or chilled water to bring the produce down to storage temperature and hands it to a reefer van or cold room. It charges per kilo or per batch. MIDH cost norms give ₹25 lakh for a pre-cooling unit of 6 MT capacity and ₹25 lakh for a mobile pre-cooling unit.

Capacity: 6 MT for the fixed unit in the norm.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A pack-house owner, exporter, FPO or cold-chain operator handling grapes, berries, flowers or vegetables.

Who it is not for

A stand-alone investor with no produce supply or onward cold storage.

Advantages

  • Longer shelf life means better prices for farmers and exporters
  • A mobile unit can move with the harvest
  • Fits well beside a pack house or cold room

Drawbacks

  • High power use
  • Useful only where a cold chain follows it
  • Seasonal use

Skills you need

  • Refrigeration plant operation
  • Crop-wise temperature and humidity settings
  • Scheduling batches with farmers and transporters

Why difficulty 3/5: Refrigeration skill plus a tied-up produce flow are both needed.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Farmers and FPOs growing fruit, vegetables and flowers
  • Exporters and organised retailers

How it sells

  • Per-batch cooling charges
  • Bundled service with pack house and reefer transport

Good to know

  • MIDH lists pre-cooling as an add-on component of integrated post-harvest management projects.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Pre-cooling unit, 6 MT capacity1₹25,00,000
Mobile pre-cooling unit1₹25,00,000

From: National Horticulture Board — MIDH cost norms and pattern of assistance

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. FSSAI registration or licence
  3. GST registration
  4. Electricity connection of the required load

We can do this registration for you

Start it in your state

Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.

§6Schemes & subsidies

Under MIDH these components carry a credit-linked back-ended subsidy of 35% of the cost in general areas and 50% in hilly and scheduled areas; ask the State Horticulture Mission or NHB. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund gives 3% interest subvention on loans for post-harvest facilities.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: MIDH cost norm: pre-cooling unit of 6 MT capacity ₹25 lakh per unit; mobile pre-cooling unit ₹25 lakh. Working capital is not included.

The cost norms were set for the XII Plan period and carry no year — today's building and equipment prices will be higher.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

A local service; there is no goods export in this business.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Power failure during a batch
  • Low use outside the season
  • Costly compressor repairs

§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 pre-cooling unit for fruits and vegetables 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, FSSAI registration or licence), 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.

Want to start Pre-Cooling Unit for Fruits and Vegetables?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. National Horticulture Board — MIDH cost norms and pattern of assistance

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