Saree Dyeing and Printing

§1What this business is

Sarees are received, relaxed and prepared, dyed in jet-dyeing and drum machines with dyes chosen for the fibre (reactive, direct, sulphur, vat, pigment, acid or disperse), the colour is fixed, and the cloth is washed, centrifuged, dried and finished. The report plans 500 pieces a day. Work comes from saree traders, weavers and boutiques.

Capacity: 500 pieces a day (10-hour shift); year 1 at 50%.

§2Is it right for you?

Skills you need

• Dye chemistry and shade matching
• Machine operation
• Effluent handling
• Dealing with traders

Why difficulty 3/5: Dyeing skill plus effluent rules make it more than a machine business.

§3Market

§4Raw material & machinery

From: PMEGP sample project report — Saree Dyeing and Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

• Dyes: reactive, direct, sulphur, vat, pigment, acid and disperse₹18.75 lakh in year 1 with chemicals
• Sarees (usually supplied by the client for job-work)

From: PMEGP sample project report — Saree Dyeing and Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

1. Consent to Establish and Operate from the State Pollution Control Board (dyeing is a water-polluting activity)
2. Effluent treatment plant or membership of a common effluent plant
3. Udyam registration and GST
4. Groundwater permission if you draw borewell water

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

• PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
• MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
• CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
• Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan

PMEGP and MUDRA fit a ₹15.32 L unit; CGTMSE for a collateral-free loan; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report ₹15.32 L = plant and machinery ₹10.75 L, furniture ₹1.20 L, working capital ₹3.37 L; land own or rented.

Working capital: Working capital ₹3.37 L; bank demand ₹3.03 L. 15 days of dyes, 10 days of finished goods.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery and raw-material prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

A job-work dyer exports indirectly through saree exporters; the HS code depends on the fabric.

§9Risks — where people fail

• Pollution-board action over effluent
• Shade or bleeding complaints
• Seasonal slack
• Slow payment from traders

§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 saree dyeing and printing unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Consent to Establish and Operate from the State Pollution Control Board (dyeing is a water-polluting activity), Effluent treatment plant or membership of a common effluent plant), 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.

¶Sources

1. PMEGP sample project report — Saree Dyeing and Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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