Millet / cereal / convenience products
Ragi-based papads
TECH-NFIC-008
Record type
Product / SKU
Product category
Millet / cereal / convenience products
Popularity
Very High Demand
Machinery available at NFIC
Partially
1. Raw materials / commodities
COM-017
Ragi / Finger Millet
NF availability: Availability: Moderate. Source districts: Vizianagaram, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam, Srikakulam, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, Nandyal and Annamayya. ODOP: Vizianagaram – millets including ragi; Nandyal – millet-based products. Manufacturing decision: Good fit for malt, flour, cookies and RTC mixes. Vizianagaram offers the clearest ODOP alignment; confirm cleaned ragi volume and NF traceability before sizing the plant.
2. NFIC machines required
NFIC-KUP-U03-02
Single Head Pulveriser 7.5 HP — White Powder with Starter
Use: Plate Grinder
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U03-05
Vibro Shifter
Use: Sieve shaker
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U03-09
Vertical Band Sealer SS FRB 770
Use: Sealing equipment
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U07-02
Weighing Machine (Scale)
Use: Electronic balance
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U07-04
Plastic Tubs
Use: Working tables
Machine is mapped to this product · no separate public machine page
NFIC-KUP-U09-04
Millet Cookie Mixing Machine
Use: Motorized mixing; forming and kneading machine
Open machine page →
3. How the product is made
?
Identify the lot; remove stones, insects, mouldy and damaged material. Sieve/aspirate dry ingredients before weighing.
Validated
Parameters: Record lot, incoming moisture and rejection weight; keep food grain separate from treated seed.
?
Mill and sieve the specified pulse/cereal ingredients.
Validated
Parameters: Uniform flour; verify pulse/cereal ratio.
?
Cook the formulated ragi/cereal/pulse mixture into cohesive dough before sheeting.
Validated
Parameters: Uniform gelatinisation, water addition and dough handling consistency; exact cook schedule is recipe-specific.
?
Divide and roll/press thin discs.
Validated
Parameters: Uniform mass, diameter and thickness avoid wet centres and uneven frying.
?
Dry discs hygienically with controlled airflow, then cool.
Validated
Parameters: Check both surface and centre dryness; moisture/water activity and absence of mould.
?
Remove cracked/defective papads and seal in moisture-barrier packs.
Validated
Parameters: Validate cooking expansion and breakage; protect from moisture pickup during AP monsoon handling.
4. Financials and Unit economics
Selling price
₹56.25
per pack
Variable cost to make one pack
₹33.62
Money left per pack
₹22.63
Before shared/fixed costs
Minimum production to cover costs
7 batches/month
Whole batches required
At 12 batches/month
₹28,290 profit/month
Money required to start
₹3.03 lakh
1. What will I produce and sell?
Raw material used in one batch (kg)
50.00
Finished product from one batch (kg)
48.40
Packs produced from one batch
242 packs
Selling price per pack
₹56.25
Planned production
12 batches/month
Packs available for sale/month
2,904 packs
Assumption: All saleable production is sold at the indicated selling price.
2. How much does one batch cost?
Variable costs — these increase when you produce more
Main raw material
₹3,825.00
Other ingredients
₹485.00
Packaging material
₹1,125.00
Production/helper labour
₹2,100.00
Transport / logistics
₹400.00
Other production costs
₹200.00
Total variable cost per batch
₹8,135.00
Sales from one batch
₹13,612.50
242 packs × ₹56.25
Variable cost of one batch
₹8,135.00
Money left from one batch
₹5,477.50
Available to pay shared/fixed business costs and thereafter become profit.
Money left per pack
₹22.63
Before shared/fixed costs.
3. NFIC Facility Cost
The fixed/shared cost of using NFIC
NFIC facility charge
₹37,440/month
This includes:
- use of NFIC machinery / shared facility
- electricity, fuel and water
- machine-operator cost
You do not need to separately add electricity or machine-operator cost.
4. Will I make a profit?
Monthly Income Statement
Sales income
₹1,63,350
Main raw material
₹45,900
Other ingredients
₹5,820
Packaging
₹13,500
Production/helper labour
₹25,200
Transport / logistics
₹4,800
Other variable costs
₹2,400
Total variable costs
₹97,620
Money left after variable costs
₹65,730
NFIC fixed/shared facility cost
₹37,440
Estimated monthly profit
₹28,290
At 12 batches per month, estimated profit is ₹28,290 per month.
5. How many batches do I need to sell?
Below break-even
6 batches
Sales: ₹81,675
Loss: ₹4,575
BREAK-EVEN
7 batches
Sales: ₹95,288
Profit: ₹902
Above break-even
8 batches
Sales: ₹1,08,900
Profit: ₹6,380
You should produce and sell at least 7 batches per month to cover your costs.
Every additional batch sold after this adds approximately ₹5,478 before any other unforeseen expenses.
6. What happens if I produce more?
5 batches/month
₹10,052 loss
6 batches/month
₹4,575 loss
7 batches/month
₹902 profit ← Break-even crossed
8 batches/month
₹6,380 profit
9 batches/month
₹11,858 profit
12 batches/month
₹28,290 profit
15 batches/month
₹44,722 profit
More batches sold → the fixed/shared NFIC cost gets spread over more production → monthly profit improves.
7. How much money do I need before starting?
Startup & Working Capital Requirement
Money needed for day-to-day business
₹1,66,270
Other startup requirements
₹1,37,000
Total startup money required
₹3,03,270
Why is ₹1.66 lakh needed for day-to-day business?
Raw material, ingredients, packaging and other expenses have to be paid before all the money from customers comes back.
Working-capital cycle: approximately 34 days
Estimated total money required to start and operate the business
₹3.03 lakh
5. Branding, packaging & labelling
Packaging & labelling guidance
| Pack size | Retail: 100 g / 200 g; catering: 1 kg. |
|---|---|
| Label copy status | Ready |
Packaging, labelling & compliance guidanceRead one box at a time.
Recommended packaging
- Heat-sealed moisture-barrier PP-based or laminated pouch with board support/outer carton only as needed against breakage.
Economical / sustainable option
- trial a recyclable PE- or PP-based mono-material pack only if its barrier and seals pass the same shelf-life test; confirm local collection. Plain paper alone is unsuitable.
Retail label essentials
- Before printing, check the applicable rules/exemptions for: true food name; ingredients in descending order; additives; prescribed nutrition panel; veg/non-veg symbol; allergen statement; manufacturer/packer/brand-owner details and applicable FSSAI logo/licence number; net quantity; MRP inclusive of taxes and consumer-care details; batch/lot; manufacture/packing date and expiry/use-by as applicable; storage and preparation instructions.
- Check Legal Metrology declarations, type size and unit-sale-price applicability for the final pack.
- Mandatory information must be in English or Hindi; add clear Telugu for rural AP buyers.
Product name, origin & marketing claims
- Put a simple descriptive food name beside the brand, with the actual variant and net quantity prominent.
- Use honest local-origin/FPO statements backed by records.
- Technology titles in column C are not approved marketing claims.
- Do not imply CFTRI or FSSAI endorses the brand.
- A QR recipe/traceability link is optional and cannot replace mandatory on-pack information.
Ingredients, allergens & cross-contact
- Review every ingredient and processing aid/carrier, including compound seasonings and shared machinery.
- Use the prescribed separate allergen statement when applicable; exemptions exist, including where the product itself is the allergen.
- “May contain” follows a genuine cross-contact assessment and is not a substitute for segregation.
- Milk is an allergen even in a vegetarian food; egg changes veg/non-veg status.
- Do not assume millet/buckwheat foods are gluten-free.
- Declare actual allergens and additives; asafoetida blends may introduce wheat.
- FSSAI Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020; Version VIII, 09-Sep-2025. Primary regulatory baseline for retail/non-retail labels, allergens and ingredient-specific declarations.
Nutrition & claims
- Nutrition values and claims must match the final recipe, legal calculation/testing basis and serving instructions.
- Check permitted exemptions rather than printing invented values.
Shelf life, storage & after-opening
- Best-before alone is not a universal substitute for expiry/use-by.
- Establish shelf life on the real product/package using safety, sensory and relevant moisture/rancidity/culture tests under intended distribution conditions.
- No expiry duration is supplied in this workbook.
- Print a validated after-opening period where needed, not “consume soon” as the only control.
- Keep dry.
FSSAI licence, certifications & marks
- Obtain the applicable FSSAI registration/licence and product-category permissions before food manufacture/sale; it is not a product-quality endorsement.
- Ordinary food rows do not establish a separate mandatory certification merely because they use millet or local produce.
- ISO 22000/HACCP certification, retail barcodes and trademark registration are not universal food-label prerequisites, though a buyer may require them.
- Never display BIS/AGMARK/organic/vegan/+F/other marks without qualifying and obtaining the relevant authorisation where required.
- Special-category rows explicitly need further review.
Regulatory references
- FSSAI Packaging Regulations, 2018; Version V, 02-Apr-2025. Food-contact compliance and Schedule IV indicative package families. Specific pack sizes and sustainability trade-offs in D/E are recommendations, not prescribed by this source.
Other important guidance
- Name the millet/pulse papad; state fry/roast instructions and whether uncooked.