§1What this business is

High-protein defatted soya flour and water are cooked in an extruder into small round pieces (17–18% moisture), dried at 100–105 °C for 20–25 minutes down to 8% moisture, graded by size and packed in 100 g consumer packs or 20 kg HDPE bags. The report plans 2 MT a day and suggests a site in or near Madhya Pradesh, the main soybean area.

Capacity: 2 MT a day, 600 MT a year; 60% in year 1.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A food entrepreneur near soybean areas with links to wholesalers and kirana distributors.

Who it is not for

Someone without a distribution network for packed food.

Advantages

  • Cheap vegetarian protein with wide household use
  • Simple, continuous extrusion process
  • Long shelf life when dry
  • Fits PMFME food-processing support

Drawbacks

  • Thin margin — raw material is most of sales
  • Big brands dominate retail shelves
  • Soya flour price follows the soybean crop
  • Large working capital

Skills you need

  • Running and cleaning an extruder
  • Moisture and quality control
  • Food-safety records
  • Distribution and branding

Why difficulty 3/5: The plant is simple; volume selling on a thin margin is the challenge.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households (curries, pulao, biryani)
  • Restaurants, caterers and canteens
  • Institutional kitchens

How it sells

  • Kirana distributors and wholesalers
  • Supermarkets
  • Online stores

Good to know

  • Selling price ₹55,000 a tonne in the report.
  • The report suggests locating in or near Madhya Pradesh to save freight on raw material.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Screw mixer1₹1,20,000
Flour sifter1₹55,000
Extruder1₹6,50,000
Water dosing system1₹3,000
Hot air drier1₹80,000
Grader1₹95,000
Filling, sealing and packing machine1₹2,00,000
Weighing scale1₹20,000
Material handling equipment1₹85,000
Miscellaneous tools1₹50,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Soy Nuggets (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Defatted soya flour (DOC)average ₹45,000 a tonne; 600 MT at 95% recovery = ₹269.33 L a year at full capacity (report)
  • Food-grade HDPE bags with liners and cardboard boxes100 g retail packs or 20 kg bulk bags

From: PMEGP sample project report — Soy Nuggets (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover)
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST registration
  4. State Pollution Control Board consent to establish and operate
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME (food processing, 35% subsidy up to ₹10 lakh), PMEGP, CGTMSE and Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders. Above MUDRA's ₹20 lakh limit.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹13.58 L, furniture ₹0.78 L, pre-operative ₹0.50 L, working capital ₹10.14 L = ₹25.00 L (term loan ₹13.37 L, working capital ₹9.13 L, own money ₹2.50 L); building 2,000 sq ft own or rented.

Working capital: Working capital ₹10.14 L (bank ₹9.13 L); soya flour is the main cost (₹45,000 a tonne).

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

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

2106.10Protein concentrates and textured protein substances

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Get an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before exporting.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Raw-material price spikes
  • Moisture causing spoilage
  • Price competition from brands
  • Food-safety non-compliance

§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 soy nuggets manufacturing unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover), Udyam 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

Not verified yet

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 Soy Nuggets Manufacturing?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Soy Nuggets (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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