§1What this business is

Raw papaya is peeled, diced into small cubes, soaked, blanched, steeped in sugar syrup with permitted colour and flavour, then dried and packed. Bakeries, ice-cream makers, paan shops and sweet makers use it. The model unit is sized at 150 tonnes a year, or 500 kg a day.

Capacity: 150 tonnes of tutti frutti a year (500 kg a day) at 300 days and 8–10 hours a day. The DPR gives two capacity-use paths (70–90% in one place, 55–100% in another), so treat the build-up as indicative.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A small food processor near papaya farms with bakery and sweet-shop buyers nearby.

Who it is not for

Someone expecting high margins from a low-priced bakery ingredient.

Advantages

  • Raw papaya is cheap and grown almost everywhere
  • Bakeries and ice-cream makers buy all year
  • Simple process with a solar dryer

Drawbacks

  • Low selling price — ₹80 a kg in the DPR
  • Sugar is a bigger cost than the fruit
  • The DPR's own figures conflict, so the plan must be redone

Skills you need

  • Even dicing of raw papaya
  • Sugar syrup steeping in stages
  • Using only permitted food colours within limits
  • Drying and moisture-proof packing

Why difficulty 2/5: Easy candying process; the challenge is thin margins and colour rules.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Bakeries and cake makers
  • Ice-cream and sweet makers
  • Paan shops and households

How it sells

  • Bakery-ingredient wholesalers
  • Direct supply to bakeries and ice-cream units
  • Retail packs through kirana stores

Good to know

  • The DPR sets the sale price at ₹80 a kg.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Cold store, 1,500 kg1₹6.00 lakh
Dicing machine, 100 kg per hour1₹0.80 lakh
Soaking tank, 100 litres1₹0.30 lakh
Blanching kettle, 200 litres1₹0.60 lakh
Sugar syrup preparation tanks, 1 KL4₹2.80 lakh
Solar dryer, 500 kg1₹3.50 lakh
Continuous sealing machine1₹0.15 lakh
Weighing balance1₹0.06 lakh
Accessories1₹0.50 lakh

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Tutti Frutti

  • Raw papayacosted at ₹15 a kg
  • Sugarcosted at ₹35 a kg
  • Permitted food colours, flavours and preservativethe DPR's 'other ingredients'
  • Pouches and cartonspacking material

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Tutti Frutti

§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 ₹27.19 L as printed in section 2.10 = building ₹5.18 L + plant and machinery ₹14.71 L + utilities ₹0.80 L + other fixed assets ₹0.90 L + pre-operative ₹0.90 L + contingencies ₹1.20 L + working capital margin ₹3.50 L. The machinery table adds up to the same ₹14.71 L. The Project at a Glance page of this DPR prints a different total (₹23.94 L) with lines that do not add up, so the section 2.10 figure is used here.

Working capital: Working capital margin ₹3.50 L in the project cost; bank working capital finance ₹10.51 L in year 2 (as printed in both the summary and the working-capital table).

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

  • Non-permitted or excess colour failing FSSAI tests
  • Stickiness or mould from under-drying
  • Sugar price rises
  • Cheap competition from large makers

§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 tutti frutti (candied papaya) 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 Tutti Frutti (Candied Papaya)?

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

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Sources

  1. NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Tutti Frutti

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