§1What this business is
Tomatoes are washed, sorted, crushed and passed through a twin pulper; the pulp is cooked in a steam-jacketed kettle with salt and flavourings, finished, cooled and canned. The plant includes a pulping line, a canning line with double seamer and retort, and a can-reforming unit with a steam boiler.
Capacity: 600 kg a day, 1,80,000 one-kg cans a year (8-hour shift, 300 days); year 1 at 65%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A food processor or FPO in a tomato belt (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh) with HoReCa contacts.
Who it is not for
Someone without food-processing experience or access to steady tomato supply.
Advantages
- India is the world's second-largest tomato grower, as the report notes
- Puree suits hotels, pizza and pasta makers who want even quality
- Cans give long shelf life
- Turns cheap seasonal tomatoes into a year-round product
Drawbacks
- Big machinery bill (₹30 lakh)
- Tomato supply is seasonal
- Canning needs strict process control
- Competition from large processors
Skills you need
- Thermal processing and canning
- Quality control (solids, acidity, seams)
- Buying tomatoes at harvest
- Selling to HoReCa and food makers
Why difficulty 4/5: Large machinery, canning safety and seasonal supply make this harder than small sauce units.
§3Market
Who buys
- Hotels, restaurants and caterers
- Pizza, pasta and sauce makers
- Households
How it sells
- HoReCa distributors
- Direct supply to food manufacturers
- Supermarkets and online grocery
Good to know
- The report says India grows about 11% of the world's tomatoes, second only to China.
- Most Indian tomatoes are eaten fresh; only a small share is processed.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pulping line: fruit washer, sorting conveyor, screw feeder, fruit mill crusher, hopper pump, twin pulper, pulprizer, steam-jacketed kettle, transfer pump, filling tank | — | — |
| Canning line: double seamer, seam checking gauge, can tester, canning retort | — | — |
| Can reforming unit: rotary flat can body reformer, hand flanger, double seamer, can body beader, steam boiler | — | — |
| Whole set-up | — | ₹30 lakh (approx., as printed) |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Tomato Puree (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Tomatoesmain input
- Salt, sugar and flavours
- Average raw material cost₹22–25 a kg (₹25 in year 1 of the report)
- 1 kg cansformed in the can-reforming unit
From: PMEGP sample project report — Tomato Puree (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board NOC
- Boiler registration under the Boilers Act if your boiler is covered
- Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods
- Trademark for the brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP fits this ₹36.56 lakh project; PMFME's 35% subsidy (up to ₹10 lakh) suits micro food processing; CGTMSE gives collateral-free cover.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Sample report total ₹36.56 lakh: plant & machinery ₹30.00 lakh, furniture & fixtures ₹1.00 lakh, working capital ₹5.56 lakh. Land own or rented. Finance: term loan ₹27.90 lakh, working-capital loan ₹5.00 lakh, own share ₹3.66 lakh.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.56 lakh (bank ₹5.00 lakh).
Year not printed on the sample report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- Get an IEC and register with APEDA (RCMC) before exporting.
- Canned foods for export need process validation and shelf-life records.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Can seam failure and spoilage
- Tomato price spikes off-season
- Idle capacity
- Payment delays from bulk buyers
§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 puree plant (canned) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence, Udyam 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
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 Tomato Puree Plant (Canned)?
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.