§1What this business is
Ripe tomatoes are washed in a bubble washer, sliced, dried on trays and ground in a pulveriser, then sealed in moisture-proof packs. About 17.46 kg of tomato gives 1 kg of powder. The model unit makes 30 tonnes of powder a year, or 100 kg a day.
Capacity: 30 tonnes of powder a year (100 kg a day) at 300 days; 55% use in year 2, rising to 100% by year 6. Needs 960.31 kg of tomato a day at 55% and 1,746.03 kg a day at full use (6% recovery).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A vegetable processor or FPO in a tomato belt that sees a glut every season.
Who it is not for
Someone who must buy tomato at normal market prices all year.
Advantages
- Uses tomatoes when prices crash and farmers dump them
- Powder keeps for months and is light to transport
- Small working capital — ₹1.04 L margin
Drawbacks
- Only 6% of the tomato comes out as powder
- Drying uses a lot of energy
- The plan depends on tomato at ₹3 a kg
Skills you need
- Slicing and tray drying to low moisture
- Grinding and sieving
- Moisture-proof packing
- Selling to food makers
Why difficulty 3/5: Drying to a stable powder needs care, and the economics hang on very cheap tomatoes.
§3Market
Who buys
- Soup, sauce and seasoning makers
- Snack and namkeen makers
- Hotels, caterers and households
How it sells
- Bulk supply to food processors
- Spice and ingredient wholesalers
- Retail packs through stores and online
Good to know
- The DPR sets the sale price at ₹240 a kg.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cold room, 10,000 kg capacity | 1 | ₹6.00 lakh |
| Bubble washer, 200 kg per batch | 1 | ₹2.90 lakh |
| Vegetable slicer, 200 kg per hour | 1 | ₹1.10 lakh |
| Tray drier with trolley | 1 | ₹6.10 lakh |
| Pulveriser | 1 | ₹1.40 lakh |
| Continuous sealing machine | 1 | ₹0.25 lakh |
| Batch coding machine | 1 | ₹0.12 lakh |
| Weighing balance | 1 | ₹0.06 lakh |
| Accessories | 1 | ₹0.50 lakh |
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Tomato Powder
- Ripe tomatoescosted at ₹3 a kg; 17.46 kg makes 1 kg of powder
- Moisture-proof pouchesfor sealed packs
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Tomato Powder
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- FSSAI licence or registration
- Trade licence from the local body
- Legal Metrology registration for packed goods
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
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 ₹28.57 L = building ₹5.30 L + machinery ₹18.43 L + utilities ₹0.80 L + other fixed assets ₹0.90 L + pre-operative ₹0.90 L + contingencies ₹1.20 L + working capital margin ₹1.04 L.
Working capital: Working capital margin ₹1.04 L in the project cost; bank working capital finance ₹3.13 L in year 2, ₹3.70 L in year 3 and ₹5.05 L in year 4.
Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.
§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
- Tomato prices rising above the plan
- Powder caking or losing colour
- Bulk buyers demanding lab-tested quality
§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 tomato powder unit 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, GST registration), 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
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Tomato Powder Unit?
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.