Millet / cereal / convenience products
Shelf-stable Jowar flour
TECH-NFIC-041
Record type
Product / SKU
Product category
Millet / cereal / convenience products
Popularity
High Demand
Machinery available at NFIC
Partially
1. Raw materials / commodities
COM-014
Jowar / Sorghum
NF availability: Availability: Moderate. Source districts: Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR Kadapa, Prakasam and parts of north coastal/tribal districts. ODOP: Nandyal – millet-based products; Vizianagaram – millets. Manufacturing decision: Proceed for flour, malt, snacks or RTC mixes where a cleaned-grain cluster exists. Contract rabi supply and test grain size, moisture and storage stability.
2. NFIC machines required
NFIC-KUP-U02-01
3 In 1 Polishing Machine (Cleaning & Grading)
Use: Cleaner/grader; Conditioning units; Polisher
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U04-02
Solar Dryer
Use: Dryer
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U05-02
Destoner — 3 In 1 Blower / Destoner / Grader
Use: Destoner
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U05-03
Additional Sieves
Use: Sifter
Machine is mapped to this product · no separate public machine page
NFIC-KUP-U07-02
Weighing Machine (Scale)
Use: Weighing scales etc
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U07-04
Plastic Tubs
Use: Material-handling units - trolleys
Machine is mapped to this product · no separate public 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.
?
Process step
Validated
?
Produce flour at the specified point in the validated stabilisation route.
Validated
Parameters: Particle size and milling heat.
?
Cool in a clean, dry area; weigh, seal and batch-code moisture-barrier food-grade packs.
Validated
Parameters: No condensation; check seal continuity, pack weight and moisture/water activity against the product release specification.
4. Financials and Unit economics
Selling price
₹52.50
per pack
Variable cost to make one pack
₹41.79
Money left per pack
₹10.71
Before shared/fixed costs
Minimum production to cover costs
17 batches/month
Whole batches required
At 16 batches/month
₹1,280 loss/month
Money required to start
₹3.23 lakh
1. What will I produce and sell?
Raw material used in one batch (kg)
100.00
Finished product from one batch (kg)
92.00
Packs produced from one batch
184 packs
Selling price per pack
₹52.50
Planned production
16 batches/month
Packs available for sale/month
2,944 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
₹5,000.00
Packaging material
₹940.00
Production/helper labour
₹750.00
Transport / logistics
₹400.00
Other production costs
₹600.00
Total variable cost per batch
₹7,690.00
Sales from one batch
₹9,660.00
184 packs × ₹52.50
Variable cost of one batch
₹7,690.00
Money left from one batch
₹1,970.00
Available to pay shared/fixed business costs and thereafter become profit.
Money left per pack
₹10.71
Before shared/fixed costs.
3. NFIC Facility Cost
The fixed/shared cost of using NFIC
NFIC facility charge
₹32,800/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
₹1,54,560
Main raw material
₹80,000
Packaging
₹15,040
Production/helper labour
₹12,000
Transport / logistics
₹6,400
Other variable costs
₹9,600
Total variable costs
₹1,23,040
Money left after variable costs
₹31,520
NFIC fixed/shared facility cost
₹32,800
Estimated monthly loss
₹1,280
At 16 batches per month, the business is estimated to lose ₹1,280 per month.
5. How many batches do I need to sell?
Below break-even
16 batches
Sales: ₹1,54,560
Loss: ₹1,280
BREAK-EVEN
17 batches
Sales: ₹1,64,220
Profit: ₹690
Above break-even
18 batches
Sales: ₹1,73,880
Profit: ₹2,660
You should produce and sell at least 17 batches per month to cover your costs.
Every additional batch sold after this adds approximately ₹1,970 before any other unforeseen expenses.
6. What happens if I produce more?
15 batches/month
₹3,250 loss
16 batches/month
₹1,280 loss
17 batches/month
₹690 profit ← Break-even crossed
18 batches/month
₹2,660 profit
19 batches/month
₹4,630 profit
20 batches/month
₹6,600 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
₹1,76,021
Other startup requirements
₹1,47,000
Total startup money required
₹3,23,021
Why is ₹1.76 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
₹3.23 lakh
5. Branding, packaging & labelling
Packaging & labelling guidance
| Pack size | Retail: 500 g / 1 kg; catering: 5 kg. |
|---|---|
| Label copy status | Ready |
Packaging, labelling & compliance guidanceRead one box at a time.
Recommended packaging
- Food-contact compliant, heat-sealed moisture-barrier pouch; use oxygen/light barrier where fat or flavour deteriorates (e.g. PET/metallised PET/PE). A zipper is optional, not a substitute for the first heat seal.
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.
- 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.
- “Stabilised” describes a process, not a guaranteed expiry; the pack trial must include rancidity and moisture pickup.
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.
Preparation / use instructions
- State the grain/plant species and form accurately; give washing/cooking directions where needed.
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
- Single-ingredient labelling exemptions must be checked against the actual product and any claims.
- Store dry, protected from insects; close the opened pack.