Onmanorama is showcasing sure shot businesses ideas that can be started with a small investment. The fifth idea in the series is on developing a camphor making unit.
Camphor is always in demand in temples and religious homes. Camphor is used for a variety of purposes by people from all religions.
The product is collected from trees that grow in cooler climes. The raw material is already processed into a readymix that can be pressed into tablet forms. That leaves little room for error for a possible entrepreneur.
Camphor manufacturing is a low-investment business that can be run from home. It can be done part-time or full time. Camphor has a market even outside Kerala.
Camphor making units are fewer in Kerala and entrepreneurs can expect an early-bird advantage in the sector.
Camphor is made into little tablets and packed in plastic covers or containers. Be sure to find your distributors before you venture into the business. The business could be profitable even with a 40 per cent sales margin. Manufacturers can also strike a deal with big temples or wholesalers who supply materials to temples.
Fully automatic machines are available to make camphor tablets. You just have to fill the readymix into the machine and punch in the required settings. The machine could spit out about 5,000 tablets in an hour. The main job involves collecting the tablets and packing them into polythene covers.
Adarsh Surendran, who runs an camphor production centre at Kayamkulam, said that he chanced upon the idea while on leave from his workplace in the middle east. "I saw women lighting camphor at the Attukal Pongala. I thought it was a good business opportunity." He said that raw materials were cheaper in Tamil Nadu.
You can obtain Udyog Aadhar, GST and local self-government body licences before starting a venture. You can expect to receive 30 per cent subsidy from the state industries department.
(This story is the fifth from a series on easily doable business ideas, watch this space for the next one on starting a thinner manufacturing unit)
