{"id":1852,"date":"2026-09-18T17:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/india-news\/cftri-millet-processing\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T17:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:22:01","slug":"cftri-millet-processing","status":"publish","type":"india-news","link":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/en\/india-news\/cftri-millet-processing\/","title":{"rendered":"CSIR-CFTRI Opens a Small-Scale Millet Processing Hub \u2014 How It Will Help Farmers and SHGs Commercialize Their Products"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nThis article is based on what we could verify As of September 18, 2026<\/strong> in public records and news reports from India. India revises its tax rules and regulations frequently, and the details here may have changed since. When making an actual business decision, please check the latest information with primary sources such as the ministries responsible and local experts.\n<\/div>\n\n

In August 2026, CSIR-CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) in Mysuru opened a small-scale millet secondary processing hub with a capacity of 10 to 50 kg per day. The aim is to enable farmers and self-help groups to turn millets into processed goods they can sell. For Japanese food and OEM companies handling dried vegetables or powders in small lots, this offers material for understanding what kind of equipment makes value-added millet processing possible.<\/p>\n

The source news: what kind of facility opened<\/h2>\n

According to fnbnews, CSIR-CFTRI (Mysuru) opened the millet secondary processing hub using CSR funding from Milltec Machinery (Bengaluru). At 10 to 50 kg per day, it is designed to be smaller than existing facilities in the 500-1,000 kg range. Equipment includes a popping unit (20 kg per hour), a continuous papad-making machine (20 kg per hour, adjustable to a diameter of 1-6 inches), a continuous air-frying unit for snacks, a 50-liter batch vacuum fryer (up to 650 mmHg), a pasta extruder, a deep fryer, and a de-oiling unit, among others. It targets farmers, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), self-help groups (SHGs), and rural entrepreneurs. Director Dr. Giridhar Parvatam said the hub \"puts industrial-quality secondary processing technology into the hands of farmers and grassroots businesses.\"<\/p>\n

Background: turning millet into a processed product to sell requires equipment<\/h2>\n

Raw, unprocessed millet, as harvested, struggles to command a higher unit price. Processing it into puffs, papad, pasta, or snacks adds value, but rural areas lacked the equipment and technology to do so. CSIR-CFTRI has set as the hub's purpose demonstrating this processing technology and passing it on to farmers and grassroots businesses through hands-on training.<\/p>\n

Who Is the Target for Small-Scale Equipment?<\/h2>\n

A daily capacity of 10 to 50 kg is sized not for mass-production factories but for FPOs, SHGs, and rural entrepreneurs to run on their own. The design opens an entry point into processing for small-lot operators that existing 500 to 1,000 kg facilities never anticipated.<\/p>\n

What Kind of Processing Is Possible?<\/h2>\n

Each machine has a fixed capacity: popping and papad units handle 20 kg per hour, while the vacuum fryer processes 50-liter batches. The setup allows trial production of a full range of millet products familiar to households, from pops and papads to pasta and snacks, so operators can test on-site which product to focus on.<\/p>\n

The equipment lineup also offers variety. The continuous air-fryer for snacks finishes with hot air, allowing trials of low-oil snacks that aren't fully deep-fried. The vacuum fryer fries under reduced pressure of up to 650 mmHg, making it easier to preserve color and flavor even at low temperatures. Alongside these are a pasta extruder, a deep fryer, and a de-oiling unit, so a single site can handle everything from frying through to removing excess oil. The papad-making machine adjusts to diameters of 1 to 6 inches, matching sizes preferred in different regions. The design lets millets, whose raw form doesn't easily command a higher unit price, be split into multiple processed products so operators can explore different ways to sell them.<\/p>\n

How Is the Technology Handed to Rural Communities?<\/h2>\n

The hub is not just about installing equipment; it is designed to pass processing know-how to farmers and grassroots operators through technology demonstrations, skill development, and hands-on training. Because FPOs, SHGs, and rural entrepreneurs can learn by operating the machines on-site themselves, it becomes an entry point for moving from trial production to small-scale manufacturing on their own, without outsourcing to external processors.<\/p>\n

How it is being received locally and in the industry<\/h2>\n

fnbnews reported the aim of transferring value-added millet processing to rural communities through technology demonstrations, skill development, and hands-on training, alongside a comment from Dr. Parvatam that the goal is to \"bring secondary processing technology closer to farmers and grassroots operators.\"<\/p>\n

Implications for Japanese Companies: How to Structure Small-Lot Processing<\/h2>\n

This mechanism of converting raw material into processed products in small units resonates with Japanese food businesses that handle dried vegetables and powders in small lots. Partnering with 50,000 farming households, KisaanSay's Farm-Direct D2C<\/a> and, built around traditional foods, Anveshan's expansion<\/a> read together, these show a strong trend in India toward adding processing value close to the production area. Japanese companies can engage not only through raw material procurement but by bringing in small-lot processing equipment and technology.<\/p>\n

Market Impact: FPO Product Commercialization Spreads<\/h2>\n

If the entry point to processing opens up in rural areas, it becomes easier for FPOs and SHGs to launch their own branded millet products. As seen in Desi Farms's Dairy-Driven Sales Growth<\/a> the foundation for brands originating from production areas is expanding.<\/p>\n

Practical information and related links<\/h2>\n