Sixteen years ago, Narayan Pandurang Phalke’s future was confined to growing wheat on his father’s 10-acre farm at Moi village in Khed taluka. Today, this Class X farmer is a successful entrepreneur in the flourishing auto component business, with a monthly turnover of Rs 20-25 lakh from his manufacturing unit Sachin Enterprises. What’s more, he has set up his own joint venture company with an initial investment of Rs 40 lakh.

Like Phalke, Balasaheb Khando Jaid also found the manufacturing sector a more viable option and sold his farmland a few years ago. Now, he runs his own manufacturing unit with a monthly turnover of nearly Rs 5 lakh.

Phalke and Jaid both represent a new generation of farmers in Dhanore village near Alandi that has broken with family tradition and ventured into business. They have now set up their own units that supply parts to Alandi-based gear manufacturing company Involute Technologies Private Limited.

It all began in 1992 when a labour strike coupled with fast changing demands of a competitive automobile market forced the management to switch over to an alternative organisational model, which involved scouting for entrepreneurial talent among farmers and unemployed youth, and helping them with machinery, training and funds to set up their own units within the company premises.

“Through this, we attempted to achieve a sort of flat organisation wherein these individuals can become co-owners of the company, thereby ensuring greater accountability for the performance of the components,’’ say sources at Involute, which manufactures 12 lakh gear components with an annual turnover of over Rs 50 crore.

... contd.