Pulses / legumes
Dhal-based nutritional supplement
TECH-NFIC-069
Record type
Product / SKU
Product category
Pulses / legumes
Popularity
Medium Demand
Machinery available at NFIC
Yes
1. Raw materials / commodities
COM-026
Pulses / Legumes
NF availability: Availability: High as a category. Source districts: Kurnool, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR Kadapa, SPSR Nellore, Guntur, Chittoor, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Krishna. ODOP: Kurnool and Prakasam – pulse products; Eluru – black/green gram; Palnadu – red gram. Manufacturing decision: Strong opportunity for dal, flour, snacks and RTC foods. Select the exact pulse first and locate near the corresponding ODOP/production belt; different pulses need different dehulling performance.
COM-033
Turmeric
NF availability: Availability: High. Source districts: Prakasam, Palnadu, Bapatla, YSR Kadapa and Alluri Sitharama Raju; Guntur is an important spice ecosystem. ODOP: Guntur and Bapatla – spices including chilli and turmeric. Manufacturing decision: Good choice for cured fingers, powder and blends near a spice belt. Confirm whether farmers supply fresh rhizomes or cured turmeric; machinery and working capital differ materially.
2. NFIC machines required
NFIC-KUP-U03-04
Ribbon Blender for Powder Mixing
Use: Blender
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U05-02
Destoner — 3 In 1 Blower / Destoner / Grader
Use: Destoner
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U07-02
Weighing Machine (Scale)
Use: Weighing Scales
Open machine page →
NFIC-KUP-U07-04
Plastic Tubs
Use: Trays
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
?
Mill appropriately treated ingredients and blend to the verified nutritional formulation.
Validated
Parameters: Uniform particle size, ingredient weights and premix distribution.
?
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
₹67.50
per pack
Variable cost to make one pack
₹38.78
Money left per pack
₹28.72
Before shared/fixed costs
Minimum production to cover costs
5 batches/month
Whole batches required
At 12 batches/month
₹40,800 profit/month
Money required to start
₹3.61 lakh
1. What will I produce and sell?
Raw material used in one batch (kg)
45.00
Finished product from one batch (kg)
47.00
Packs produced from one batch
188 packs
Selling price per pack
₹67.50
Planned production
12 batches/month
Packs available for sale/month
2,256 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
₹3,830.00
Other ingredients
₹300.00
Packaging material
₹960.00
Production/helper labour
₹900.00
Transport / logistics
₹400.00
Other production costs
₹900.00
Total variable cost per batch
₹7,290.00
Sales from one batch
₹12,690.00
188 packs × ₹67.50
Variable cost of one batch
₹7,290.00
Money left from one batch
₹5,400.00
Available to pay shared/fixed business costs and thereafter become profit.
Money left per pack
₹28.72
Before shared/fixed costs.
3. NFIC Facility Cost
The fixed/shared cost of using NFIC
NFIC facility charge
₹24,000/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
₹1,52,280
Main raw material
₹45,960
Other ingredients
₹3,600
Packaging
₹11,520
Production/helper labour
₹10,800
Transport / logistics
₹4,800
Other variable costs
₹10,800
Total variable costs
₹87,480
Money left after variable costs
₹64,800
NFIC fixed/shared facility cost
₹24,000
Estimated monthly profit
₹40,800
At 12 batches per month, estimated profit is ₹40,800 per month.
5. How many batches do I need to sell?
Below break-even
4 batches
Sales: ₹50,760
Loss: ₹2,400
BREAK-EVEN
5 batches
Sales: ₹63,450
Profit: ₹3,000
Above break-even
6 batches
Sales: ₹76,140
Profit: ₹8,400
You should produce and sell at least 5 batches per month to cover your costs.
Every additional batch sold after this adds approximately ₹5,400 before any other unforeseen expenses.
6. What happens if I produce more?
3 batches/month
₹7,800 loss
4 batches/month
₹2,400 loss
5 batches/month
₹3,000 profit ← Break-even crossed
6 batches/month
₹8,400 profit
7 batches/month
₹13,800 profit
12 batches/month
₹40,800 profit
15 batches/month
₹57,000 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
₹1,63,964
Other startup requirements
₹1,97,000
Total startup money required
₹3,60,964
Why is ₹1.64 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 39 days
Estimated total money required to start and operate the business
₹3.61 lakh
5. Branding, packaging & labelling
Packaging & labelling guidance
| Pack size | Retail: 200 g / 500 g; catering: 1 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.
- Declare allergens from the final recipe, including compound ingredients.
- 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 and reseal after opening.
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
- Identify the actual dry mix, not the prepared dish.
- Print the measured water/milk addition, cooking or reconstitution steps, servings and safe handling after preparation.
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
- Any “high protein”, “protein-rich” or supplement positioning needs classification and substantiated nutrient content meeting the applicable claim conditions; adding pulses/coconut/soy is not certification.
- FSSAI Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018; Version IV, 14-Dec-2022. Claim principles and conditions; later effective amendments must also be checked.
- FSSAI regulations index and labelling-amendment register. N identifies specialised regimes to consult, not evidence that any named SKU is approved. A flags the 2026 update; unresolved requirements are expressly not presented as certification conclusions.