§1What this business is

Sohiong berries are washed, boiled with water until soft, pulped to remove the seed, then cooked with sugar and pectin in kettles and filled hot into bottles. One kg of pulp and one kg of sugar give about 1.7 kg of jam. The model unit makes 120 tonnes of jam a year.

Capacity: 120 tonnes of jam a year at 300 days; 60% use in year 2, 70% in year 3, 80% in year 4 and 90% from year 5. Needs 0.24 tonne of fruit a day at 60% and 0.36 tonne a day at 90%.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A fruit processor or SHG federation in the Khasi or Jaintia Hills with access to sohiong growers.

Who it is not for

Anyone outside the growing area — the fruit does not travel well.

Advantages

  • A fruit found mainly in Meghalaya and Manipur, so the product is distinctive
  • Deep natural colour needs no added dye
  • Uses standard jam equipment

Drawbacks

  • Fruit is costly at ₹120 a kg and seasonal
  • Almost no profit in the first working year
  • Little known outside the North-East

Skills you need

  • Pulping and jam boiling to the right set
  • Hygienic hot filling
  • Buying fruit from many small growers
  • Selling a regional speciality to tourists and cities

Why difficulty 3/5: Standard jam making, but the fruit is seasonal, costly and local.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households and tourists in the North-East
  • Bakeries and hotels
  • Speciality food shops in cities

How it sells

  • Retail shops and supermarkets
  • Private-label supply to larger brands
  • Tourist outlets and online sale

Good to know

  • The DPR prices the jam at ₹240 a kg.
  • It suggests bulk or private-label supply to established brands as a safer route.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Weighing scale1₹1.00 lakh
Fruit washer1₹2.00 lakh
Pulper1₹3.00 lakh
Kettles4₹4.00 lakh
Bottle filler1₹3.00 lakh
Capping and labelling machine1₹2.00 lakh
Boiler1₹5.00 lakh

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sohiong Jam

  • Sohiong berriescosted at ₹120 a kg
  • Sugar₹40 a kg; 1 kg per kg of pulp
  • Pectin₹800 a kg; 5 g per kg of pulp
  • Bottles, caps and labelspackaging costed at ₹50 a unit

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sohiong Jam

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. FSSAI licence or registration
  4. Trade licence from the local body
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packed goods

We can do this registration for you

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§6Schemes & subsidies

The DPR is written for the PMFME scheme and assumes its 35% credit-linked subsidy (up to ₹10 lakh) with a bank term loan. At this size the project is also within PMEGP's ₹50 lakh manufacturing ceiling; MUDRA and CGTMSE can support the loan.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Total project cost ₹35.42 L as printed in the Project at a Glance = extra built-up area ₹2.00 L + machinery ₹20.00 L + utilities ₹2.00 L + miscellaneous fixed assets ₹2.00 L + pre-operative ₹0.25 L + contingencies ₹2.00 L + working capital margin ₹7.17 L. The cost table inside the DPR rounds the same total to ₹35.50 L.

Working capital: Working capital margin ₹7.17 L in the project cost; working capital requirement ₹28.69 L in year 2, ₹35.26 L in year 3 and ₹40.26 L in year 4.

Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: APEDA

  • The DPR prints no HS code or export figure — confirm the ITC-HS code on the DGFT site before you quote to a foreign buyer.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • A poor fruit season
  • Raw material cost eating the margin
  • Jam setting or spoilage faults
  • Slow sales outside the region

§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 sohiong (khasi cherry) jam 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, GST 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

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Sohiong (Khasi Cherry) Jam?

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

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Sources

  1. NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sohiong Jam

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