Although raw fuel sources like coal, raw wood, and saw dust are much cheaper, Indian snack businesses are slowly shifting towards the usage of Pellets. And a reason for this shift is because Pellets allow the usage of automation for effective functioning.
Because of automation, the process parameters can be controlled perfectly to a Tee. For example, a manufacturer is required to have 180 degrees of temperature to roast certain snacks, a Pellet burner assures him a level of temperature, close to 180 degrees with very little hassle.
So there are Pellet burners which allow you to set the temperature, monitor the temperature and you can control the temperature to the required centigrade, as per the type of snack. These aspects of controlling and monitoring are not possible in raw fuels.
In case of raw fuels, many a times they are heterogeneous, there moisture levels are not known, their ash content is not known and their exact type is not known. This is also one strong reason why many food manufacturing businesses are shifting to Pellets.