South Sikkim's Namchi-Ravangla belt grows the GI-tagged Sikkim Mandarin Orange but post-harvest losses are high. A small juice and concentrate unit captures the perishable surplus and creates shelf-stable premium SKUs.
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South Sikkim's Namchi-Ravangla-Jorethang belt produces Sikkim Mandarin Orange under a GI tag — flavour and aroma are a step above mainland mandarins. Post-harvest losses run high during the concentrated 8-week harvest. A small unit doing washed-pulp juice, concentrate, and marmalade absorbs the surplus and creates D2C and HoReCa SKUs that move year-round.
Capex of ₹8–16 lakh covers a juicer, concentrator, pasteuriser, and packing. MOVCD-NER (Mission Organic Value Chain Development - North East Region) and PMFME together can grant 50–75% of capital, the highest subsidy density in any agro-processing scheme. The hard parts: managing harvest-window peak intake (you process most volume in 8 weeks), microbial-control during pulp processing, and brand-building against established orange juice players. The GI-tag is the wedge — pricing should reflect it (₹150+ retail per litre, not ₹65). Start with concentrate B2B and add D2C SKUs in year 2.
Eligible schemes
Indicative only — final eligibility depends on promoter category, location, and the bank's credit policy. The DPR generator spells out exact subsidy quanta for your specific case.
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