Engineer duo builds low-cost farm machines; startup revenue to double to  Rs1.5 crore this year

From childhood, Akshay Kawale would spend time tinkering with small machines at home in the Akola district of Maharashtra. Coming from a farming family, he saw his parents and relatives use conventional and outdated equipment that did not increase productivity. 

“They worked very hard in the fields and also depended a great deal on farm labour, which was scarce in the peak season,” 31-year-old Kawale tells 30Stades. 

The region is prone to drought and reports high farmer suicide rates. Seeing the hardship of farmers around them, Kawale and his school friend, Akshay Wairale, decided to set up a venture to help farmers by designing affordable, innovative, and gender-friendly farm machinery. 

After completing their studies, they returned home and set up AgrowSure Products and Innovations Pvt Ltd in 2022. The startup enables farmers, particularly small and marginal and women farmers, to increase yields and incomes by up to 30 percent through mechanisation.  

“We aim to ease small farmers’ struggles by developing solutions to enhance productivity and sustainability,” says Kawale.

The startup began with one prototype product and has expanded to a portfolio of over 30 need-based, crop-specific farm machines. The company’s revenue was Rs 75 lakh in 2024-25. It is expected to cross Rs 1.5 crore in 2025-26.

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Rise in yields

“Our machines are currently used by over 20,000 small and marginal farmers, women farmers, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across six states of Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana, covering more than 48,000 hectares of farmland. Farmers report a 30 percent increase in yield and a return on investment (ROI) within two cropping seasons,” says Kawale.

Of the overall cost of cultivation, 40 percent is labour costs. There is a shortage of farm labour in villages, as labourers prefer working in government schemes or migrating to towns and cities.

“The income of farmers has increased by 25-30 per cent by using our machines and renting them when not in use. Machine use reduces the per-acre cost of cultivation by 40-50 percent,” stresses Kawale.  

AgrowSure’s machinery has been certified and validated by a Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute (FMTTI) as per the government norms. The machines are available to farmers at a subsidy of over 40 percent. 

“It has been over three years since we commercialised our products. A secondary objective of our company is to create employment in rural areas and prevent migration. We have created 26 village-level entrepreneurs who sell or rent out our machinery,” he says.

The price range of machines is from Rs 2,000 to Rs 60,000. “Our top-selling products are manual seeder, power weeder and tractor-mounted weeding attachments,” he adds.

AgrowSure has received incubation and acceleration support from IIT Kanpur, IIM Bangalore, Social Alpha, and, most recently, The Buddha Institute. Akshay received the prestigious fellowship from The Buddha Institute for 2024-26. The institute was founded by IIM Ahmedabad alumnus and development entrepreneur Ved Arya. The fellowship is given to social/development enterprises and involves funding and mentorship, as well as the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs on similar journeys.   

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Environmental benefits 

AgrowSure promotes environmentally friendly practices in three ways. One, it makes solar-powered machinery. Two, mechanised weeding reduces chemical herbicide use by 50 percent. This reduces soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions. Three, the company uses design software and simulation tools to reduce the fuel consumption of the equipment. Using machines (since labour is scarce) also helps farmers convert barren land into cultivable land, explains Kawale. 

After graduating in mechanical engineering from the University of Pune, Kawale did a post-graduation in agriculture extension management from the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, Hyderabad. His expertise lies in research, designing and product development. 

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The co-founder of the company, Akshay Wairale, is an engineer who subsequently did an MBA in sales and marketing. His role is to ensure that customers receive high-quality service, starting from the initial consultation right through to the delivery of the product.

Gender-friendly range  

AgrowSure’s factory in Akola makes machines that fall into four categories. The USP of the company is its separate range of gender-friendly machinery sold to women farmers and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). “These machines are light, with minimum vibration and noise level, low need for maintenance and are ergonomically designed. Our gender-friendly range is new. We are selling to four to five SHGs, each having 100-150 women farmers as members,” says Kawale. 

“Women farmers do a lot of agricultural work in India. But there is no equipment suitable for them. Women carry 20 litres of spray pump on their backs, creating health problems. We wanted to ease their burden,” he explains. 

Sangita Deshmukh, 52, lives in Bhamberi, a village in Maharashtra. She has been using AgrowSure machines for two years. “Using these machines has empowered women in our community to participate in farming and benefit economically. I use the power weeder, land leveller and rotavator (it churns, aerates and prepares the soil for cultivation). Before using these machines, most of the farm work was done manually, which was very time-consuming and exhausting, especially for women in our SHG,” she says.

“The gender-friendly power weeder allows us to complete weeding and soil preparation much faster and with far less effort. So, our SHG can manage more land. Our yield has improved by 20 percent, and we save labour costs. We also rent our machines to other farmers in nearby villages, which generates additional income for our SHG,” says Sangita. 

Tools for small farmers

The other three categories in AgrowSure’s product portfolio are manual farm tools meant for small farmers with limited land, machines for marginal and large farmers with tractors, and solar-based farm machines. The manual tools include the cycle weeder, manual seeder and animal-drawn seed cum fertiliser drill. Battery-operated tools for small farmers are yet to be commercialised. 

“We provide attachments from land preparation to crop harvesting. So, land tillers, seeders for sowing, weeding and reaper attachments are all available on self-propelled machines," explains Kawale.

"This way, farmers do not have to buy a separate machine for every task, reducing their overall investment by 40-50 percent,” he adds. 

The AgrowSure team provides training to the farmers on using the machinery. “We collaborate with local government bodies and NGOs and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) to conduct awareness sessions and live demos to build trust among the farming community before selling machines,” he adds. 

Better farming practices  

Akshay Wankhade, 26, lives in Borgaon Khurd village in Maharashtra.  “The machines help me practice better farming techniques that improve soil health and crop quality. I have been using AgrowSure tractor implements – multi-crop seed drill and boom sprayer (a farm machine used to spray pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers) for the past three years. Before, I used to rely on an outdated seed drill that required high maintenance and mostly manual labour, which was often unavailable during the peak season. My yield has increased by around 30 percent,” he says.

Shrikant Nanote, 40, who belongs to Hatola village in Maharashtra, has been using AgrowSure machines for two years on his 35-acre farm. 

“I cultivate a variety of crops, including soybean, cotton, onion, fruits, and wheat. The equipment is adjustable for different cropping patterns, so I can use it across multiple crops. I use tractor implements like weeder, bed-maker, multi-crop seed drill, boom sprayer and power weeder,” says Shrikant. 

“Earlier, cultivating two to three acres required three labourers and cost around Rs 1,800-2,000 per day. Now, with the tractor-mounted weeder, I can cultivate 20-22 acres per day with just one labourer, reducing costs to Rs 200-300 per acre,” he explains. 

Global recognition  

The startup has received national and international recognition for its innovative and inclusive approach towards agritech. It received global recognition for innovation in sustainable agriculture at UNDP India and the UN FAO World Food Forum in Rome in 2024. The latter was for the women's empowerment category.

It has also received recognition for social impact and innovation by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), UK. The World Resources Institute (WRI) has honoured AgrowSure for sustainable and scalable climate-smart innovation.

 “Our plans include looking to export farm equipment to African countries. Farmers in Africa face similar challenges, and the cropping pattern and soil type are similar to those in India. We want to increase our outreach and expand our operations on the global stage,” says Kawale confidently. 

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Bengaluru. She writes about people, environmental matters, parenting, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises.)

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