Indian Town Becomes National Hub for Asafoetida Processing

A small town in northern India has quietly built an entire economy around a pinch of spice that flavors millions of meals every day.

Hathras, located in Uttar Pradesh, has become India's go-to destination for asafoetida processing, not by growing the ingredient but by mastering the art of transforming raw resin into the kitchen staple found in grocery stores across the country. The district's traders have spent decades perfecting the craft of blending, grading, grinding, and packaging this tiny but essential ingredient that Indian households rely on for both flavor and digestion.

Sanjay Garg represents this homegrown success story perfectly. After watching local processors work near Sadar Gate nearly 30 years ago, he jumped into the trade with no formal training, learning quality standards one batch at a time by observing how buyers responded to different grades.

"I started from the ground level," Garg explains. "You understand asafoetida only when you see how buyers react to different grades."

His family's earlier grocery business gave him a crucial advantage: understanding asafoetida as a fast-moving product with steady, predictable demand. That stability comes from the spice's dual role as both flavoring and traditional digestive aid, something Garg calls "ausadhi," keeping it relevant across different regions and cooking styles.

The processing itself involves careful precision. Workers prepare a base using flour and starch, then dry and machine-grind the blend before adding controlled amounts of asafoetida resin based on the desired grade. The final product gets packaged in sizes ranging from small 100-gram pouches for home kitchens to massive 12-kilogram bulk packs for commercial buyers.

Why This Inspires

What makes Hathras special isn't resources or geography but pure entrepreneurial grit. Local traders brought processing techniques into the district and gradually refined them through trial, error, and shared learning. As word spread about Hathras's quality standards, more households entered the business, creating a concentrated cluster where expertise flows freely between neighbors and competitors alike.

Government support amplified this organic growth. Through the One District One Product initiative, Garg secured a ₹25 lakh loan to expand his processing capacity and modernize his infrastructure. He repaid it ahead of schedule, proving that targeted assistance works when entrepreneurs treat it as responsibility rather than handout.

Today, Hathras thrives because it solved a simple but powerful equation: take a product used in tiny quantities but needed constantly, add reliable quality and efficient distribution, and you create sustainable prosperity. The town's asafoetida identity wasn't handed down by planners or policymakers but built grain by grain through the hands of traders who saw opportunity in something most people sprinkle without thinking twice.