Murugappa Group eyes Japanese tech to make farm equipment

At present, a team from Coromandel International Ltd is studying Japanese equipment in Vietnam where they are in use

The Rs 22,466-crore Murugappa Group plans to launch own farm equipment to be sold through its agriculture retail chain, Mana Gromor.

The Chennai-based company is in talks with two globally reputed Japanese companies to source the technology, said a senior executive with the group. "Initially, we will import the equipment and sell these through our retail arm. Later, we will source the technology from the Japanese firm and manufacture the product at Tube Investments India (a group company that manufactures mainly autoparts)," said the executive.

At present, a team from Coromandel International Ltd, a subsidiary of the Murugappa Group under which Mana Gromor functions, is studying Japanese equipment in Vietnam where they are in use, the executive added.

A Vellayan, executive chairman of the Murugappa corporate board, said the company plans to make Mana Gromor a one-stop solution for farmers. N Srinivasan, group director for finance, said rotators and planters will be initially introduced, helping farmers address labour shortage and increase their productivity.

Farmers who used to take two days to plant rice or sugarcane using manual labourers can do it in two hours with this equipment, Srinivasan added. Currently, the group has about 700 Mana Gromor stores across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and South Maharashtra. "Soon, the retail arm will start operations in Tamil Nadu," said Vellayan.

The stores sell fertilisers, crop protection products, micronutrients, seeds, sprayers, mechanised farm services, veterinary feed, etc.

It also offers services such as soil testing for major nutrients, field visits for crop diagnosis, technical advice, and a toll-free help line service, too, called Hello Gromor. Insurance and technical training on agriculture are the other services offered through Mana Gromor.