§1What this business is
Harvested shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) roots are bought from growers, washed in a rotary washer, boiled in a jacketed kettle, peeled, dried in a tray dryer and packed for storage and sale. The report plans 500 kg a day and says India needs more than 500 tonnes of shatavari roots a year for medicines. Buyers are Ayurvedic pharmacies, herbal-extract makers and traders.
Capacity: 500 kg a day (10-hour shift); year 1 at 30%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in a medicinal-plant growing area with links to growers and Ayurvedic buyers.
Who it is not for
Someone without assured root supply or buyer contracts.
Advantages
- Steady demand from the Ayurveda industry
- Gives local growers a nearby buyer
- Simple process with modest machinery (₹8.60 L)
- Dried roots store well
Drawbacks
- Thin margin (about 5–6%)
- Root supply depends on contract farming
- A few large buyers set the price
- Quality (moisture, fungus) must be tight
Skills you need
- Herb quality grading
- Drying control
- Contract farming links
- B2B sales to pharmacies
Why difficulty 3/5: Processing is easy; securing roots and buyers takes work.
§3Market
Who buys
- Ayurvedic medicine makers
- Herbal extract and supplement companies
How it sells
- Herb traders and mandis
- Direct supply contracts
Good to know
- The report puts India's medicinal-plant market at ₹4.2 billion in 2019 and herb exports at US$ 330.18 million in 2017-18.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rotary vegetable washer | 1 | ₹2.60 lakh |
| Electric heating jacketed kettle | 1 | ₹1.60 lakh |
| Shatavari peeling machine | 1 | ₹1.00 lakh |
| Tray dryer | 1 | ₹2.40 lakh |
| Material handling and other equipment | lump sum | ₹1.00 lakh |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Shatavari Root Processing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Harvested shatavari rootswith packing, ₹58.50 lakh in year 1
- Packing material
From: PMEGP sample project report — Shatavari Root Processing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration and GST
- FSSAI licence if you sell powder or other food-use products
- Trade licence from the local body
- Registration with the State Medicinal Plants Board helps with buyer links (optional)
§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 ₹17.40 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 ₹17.40 L = plant and machinery ₹8.60 L, furniture ₹0.80 L, working capital ₹8.00 L; land own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹8.00 L; bank demand ₹7.20 L. 15 days of roots and finished stock.
Year not printed on 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: Pharmexcil
- Herbal raw-material exports need an IEC and phytosanitary certificates; some species need a legal-procurement certificate.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Root shortage or price rise
- Mould in poorly dried stock
- Buyer rejection on quality tests
- Slow payments
§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 shatavari root processing 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 and GST, FSSAI licence if you sell powder or other food-use products), 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 Shatavari Root Processing?
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.