Hygienic solar-dried bombil and prawn unit

This unit buys fresh bombil (Bombay duck) and small prawns from local boats, dries them in closed solar dryers instead of open racks, and sells them cleaned, graded and sealed in its own packs.

Fisheries is the only farm activity in Mumbai City. NABARD's 2023-24 credit plan puts fisheries credit potential at ₹8002.28 cr and counts about 13000 fisher families in the Koliwadas at Cuffe Parade, Worli and Mahim. It also names better fish processing and marketing as a need. Drying fish is an old Koli skill, but open racks invite dust, flies and rain, which limits who will buy.

What it takes: an FSSAI food licence, a covered drying yard or terrace near a landing point, solar tunnel dryers (long plastic-covered tunnels that trap the sun's heat), a sealing machine and a weighing scale. Tie up with a women's group or fishermen's cooperative for steady supply. The hard parts are finding open space on a crowded island, the smell that neighbours complain about, the monsoon fishing ban when fresh supply stops, and keeping moisture low so packs do not spoil.

Buyers are grocers in Dadar and Girgaon, Koli and Konkani families living outside Mumbai who miss the taste, and online food marketplaces. Clear packing dates and hygiene you can prove are the selling point.