Think small, strike it big

From idea to product to patent to commercial production — rarely does it all fall into place for an innovator. Bhanjibhai Mathukia is a...

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From idea to product to patent to commercial production — rarely does it all fall into place for an innovator. Bhanjibhai Mathukia is a happy man today; the small tractor he built for use in his fields will now be manufactured by a company, but he is still to come to terms with the fact that it could earn him some Rs 50 lakh-60 lakh in five years or so.

Using a 10 HP diesel motor of the kind used for irrigation, Mathukia went to work and built a three-wheeled tractor to use on his 50-acre farm. That was in 1991.

‘‘I made the tractor just to fulfil my requirements. The big tractors were too expensive, they consume too much fuel, and are expensive to maintain,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s just luck that has brought me fame. I did not imagine anything like this. It all seems a miracle to me.’’

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Pramal Farmatics Ltd of Anand will on January 5 launch Mathukia’s baby under the brand name of Vanraj.

‘‘It will be priced between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh,’’ says J.J. Trivedi, director of Pramal Farmatics Ltd. ‘‘This is much cheaper than the big tractors, which cost about Rs 4 lakh. And it will consume only 1.25 litre of diesel per hour, against the four litre that bigger tractors consume. Since there is no competition in the small tractor segment, Vanraj will quite possibly be a hit.’’

The firm has already started manufacturing the tractor, and hopes to have 25 ready by the date of the launch. Mathukia’s lucky break came when Vanraj first got noticed by the Society for Research & Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies (SRISTI), a voluntary group based in Ahmedabad. SRISTI and its sister organisation, Gujarat Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN), had some modifications made, required for obtaining a manufacturing licence. Among the changes made with help from engineers are modifying the engine, wheels and gearbox, and adding a power take-off shaft.

Since looks matter when it comes to marketing a product, GIAN passed on Vanraj to the National Institute of Design. After this was done, GIAN helped Bhanjibhai obtain patents in India and the US. ‘‘We had it modified. But the basic concept of Mathukia remains intact,’’ says Chintan Bakshi, chief innovation manager at GIAN.

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The organisation also scouted for manufacturers, and finally struck a deal with Pramal Farmatics on October 16. Besides manufacturing rights, the company will retain marketing rights in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the northeastern states.