Agri processing business tips- insights by Dr Utkarsh Ghate, Director, Gram Mooligai (village herbs) co. ltd., Madurai, Jabalpur & Durg, India

1. AGRI-PROCESSING BUSINESS TIPS
PROCESSING& STORAGE
Form change & making product long lasting outside refrigerator save loss & cuts cost!
Grains processing is thus a quick pick despite low margin, rice processing has just 10% operating
margin but there are so many of them, due to no storage loss, but benefit. Transport benefit is high
unlike vegetables & fruits.
Yams- big tubers- jimikand in Chhattisgarh is ample in Gaya, may be Madhubani, can be stored &
processed. Its nutritibve- plz. google. Pumpkin, Rakhi (Ashgourd) can be stored for long if uncut &
are profitable. Pumpkin seeds are sold at Rs. 2-3 k/ kg in malls today being rich in vaitaminA, very
good for eyes- a problem in cities today. Lutein in its pulp is good for similar reson- its a polyphenol-
medicinal compounds in global demand- ref our paper.
YEAR ROUND WORK
Teh factory must run year round, not stop. Its a problem with fruits- as its seasonal& storage may
cause quality loss or be costly. Or you must have year round multiple fruits processing facility & it
can be costly as each fruit species may demand different machinery annexure. For instance, Monsoon-
Mango, Autumn- Sitaphal (custard apple), Winter- Pineapple/ Mandarin (Orange0, Spring- Banana/
Papaya etc. the last 2 are good- year round & healthy.
Grains have storage advantage as above so preferred thus.
WASTE RESUE
Rice bran oil is boon for them. Power cogeneration from sugarcane mills is bonus & they claimed
carbon credits also in 2012-13, vide a talk Sudhil Modi ji, Dy CM, Bihar said then.
Mr Pravin Mahahjan, business mentor of CCD in Tata Trust project said he profits from resue of
gunny bags reuse by 1% & he was big Pulses merchant in Jalgaon once. Get such mentor too, having
experience & some passion.
BENEFICIRY CONTRIBUTION& PREPARATION- SocialEngineering
Beneficiaries must contribute to won & sustain the activity for long. Or else it fizzels out. Grants,
project brought from outside are not their priority & they forget it in times of needs. So make the
farmers pay some investment-say R. 1,000/- (one thousand) each,even in slots if needed. If you have
500 famers,it means Rs. 5 lakh & you can buy a Dhal mill, a mini-tempo etc. from it & let tthem own
it. That increases their pride, interest & drive in the effort & they do not remain passive onlookers.
PROFITABLE CROPPING
I attach hereby a file reg. Some youtube clips in Marathi from profitable Marathi farmers earning few
lakhs per acre/ year. . Teach it to your farmers. Make them contribute. You may find similar ones in
Bihar. Make them success stories & conduct exposure tour of your farmers to them so learn, for
motivation, in project/ self contribution funds (you don’t pay for it plz., let them own it).