Mahindra Group looks to corner 25% share in rotavator segment

Mumbai, Mar 1 (PTI) Mahindra Group is eying a 25 per cent market share in the rotavator segment, especially in the domestic market, amid the increasing farm mechanisation and use of new technologies, a senior group executive said.

The company, which last week launched a new series of rotavators for heavy-duty applications, also said that it has the ability to add capacity in a modular way at its two facilities that manufacture this equipment to cater to the demand.

Mahindra Group's Farm Equipment business comprises tractors, agri-services and farm machinery. Rotavators fall in the farm machinery products category. Also called a rotary tiller, the equipment is usually attached to a tractor and designed to prepare soil for planting.

"Rotavator is a big area of focus for us because it's one of the main tillage equipment used in India. With the launch of the new rotavator, we are looking at further increasing our market share to 25 per cent. That is the goal," Mahindra Farm Equipment Business' Vice President & Head for International Operations & Business Head for farm machinery, Anusha Kothandaraman told PTI.

The rotavator market this year is expected to be around 2.60-2.70 lakh and the group is expected to clock around 50,000 unit sales in this period, accounting for around 20 per cent of the total volumes, she said.

Stating that as much as 95 per cent of the total rotavators sale comes from the domestic market, she said, "Our goal is to continuously increase our market share and the launch of new series is part of that because we believe this variant will be good in markets and for different applications." The new rotavator series, which features a new look and a wider mast design, will be available under the heavy-duty rotavator category - Mahavator & Mahavator HD, spanning 4 to 9 feet.

While the newly designed rotavator range will replace Mahindra's current rotavator models, the company will continue to offer its existing model line-up giving customers a complete portfolio that addresses diverse farming preferences and operational requirements, the company said at the launch.

"We have significant manufacturing capabilities for this equipment, and we continue to expand our product portfolio in rotavators, which is a very important area for us. And the new launch that we're doing is part of that initiative to increase our product portfolio in rotavators," she said.

Kothandaraman said almost two-thirds of the rotavators' capacity across these two plants--in North and South India-- is being utilised.

"So we have the ability to increase capacity in both of these well-sized locations. Today, we are able to serve all the demand that we have with these facilities. And we should be able to do more besides adding capacity in a modular way as well," she said. PTI IAS MR