The ancestral land on which Kadavendi Mahipal Chary grew up reaped good harvest, however not sufficient revenue, he remembers. His father must spend a big chunk of their earnings on labourers to domesticate the two-acre discipline, leaving them with little or no to go on.
Unable to finish his Class 10 because of the monetary constraints, Mahipal took up the job of a motorcycle mechanic in a city close to his village in Hyderabad. He began out as an assistant, however quickly turned good at repairing automobiles.
“Within the early 2000, my father transferred the land to me. I returned to my village and took up farming, however started going through the identical subject of labour prices. After spending hundreds as wages and hire for animals, there was nothing left as revenue. As a facet enterprise, I started repairing tractors and used some to work on my farm,” Mahipal tells The Higher India.
The 42-year-old started pondering of how he may resolve his woes, and arrived on the conclusion of constructing a cultivator of his personal to avoid wasting cash.
“In 2011, I started trials by utilizing an previous auto rickshaw engine. However the try failed. Later, I went to Hyderabad metropolis and bought an engine made in China. When it labored effectively, I included different elements utilizing scrap supplies and constructed a cultivator machine by the top of the 12 months,” he explains.
This machine, he says, can run for 3 hours on 1 litre of diesel. On this period, it might probably cowl an space of three acres. Just one particular person is required to function the gadget, he provides. “Working the machine is easier than driving a scooter. There’s an accelerator within the left hand grip and the machine could be run by inserting each fingers, like in a two-wheeler,” he shares.
Turning into an agripreneur
“Whereas different farmers spent upto Rs 1 lakh as hire and labour costs for the method, I spent lower than half of it to construct this machine, which can be utilized repeatedly with out additional upkeep. As a consequence of this motive, I began getting requests to construct extra of it, obtainable for buy,” he says.
In 2012, Mahipal launched Varun Engineering Works, from the place farmers may purchase cultivators and different farming-related machines “at an reasonably priced value”. Mahipal additionally customises machines based mostly on preferences.
“My innovation got here below the limelight after being featured on a Telugu information channel. By then, I had offered over 13 machines. I now have 12 staff and my different improvements embrace an influence weeder and a mini-tractor. The latter could be linked to a trolley and may carry upto 1 tonne of weight. I additionally constructed a hydraulic elevate that may elevate upto 500 kg which could be utilised in different industries as effectively,” notes the agripreneur.
“The plight of farmers in India is one motive why I opted for this discipline. Like me, lots of them are left battling poverty attributable to excessive labour prices and unavailability of reasonably priced equipment. I’m on a mission to alter this narrative,” he provides.
Varun Engineering Works is situated in Mahipal’s native space Parkal.
‘Inexpensive and user-friendly’
The innovator shares that he now builds the machines by assembling engines from Kolhapur, and materials in addition to gears from Hyderabad. “Until date, greater than 4,000 cultivators have been offered for a value between Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000,” he says.
Viswesara, a farmer who purchased the cultivator machine two years in the past, says, “I’m able to save a minimum of Rs 50,000 each season with the assistance of this machine. Shopping for this was a one-time funding and I’ve not accomplished any upkeep until now. I deal with the cultivator simply with out anybody’s assist, saving labour costs. I hope Mahipal comes up with extra improvements to make our lives higher.”
At present, Mahipal is engaged on a mini tractor that runs on battery. “Given the excessive value of petroleum merchandise, it’s higher to shift to different options,” he says.
For his improvements, Mahipal was given the Nationwide Grassroots Innovation Award by the President of India in 2015 and the Nationwide Entrepreneurship Award in 2018. “Each of those have been massive honours however what means the world to me is the farmer who struggles to make ends meet even after receiving a very good harvest. I’m glad that my machines are making their lives simpler,” he notes.
Contact Varun Engineering Works on 9866922168.
Edited by Divya Sethu