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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Unshackled yet Vulnerable

Eknath Shinde’s high stakes pivot in the post-Ajit era Mumbai: The swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister has optically restored the Mahayuti’s "tripod" structure, but for Eknath Shinde and his Shiv Sena faction, the ground reality has shifted seismically. The sudden exit of Ajit Pawar—often seen as the "counterweight" in the alliance—has fundamentally rewritten Shinde’s survival equation. For the last two years, Shinde operated in a high-pressure "sandwich" between Devendra...

Unshackled yet Vulnerable

Eknath Shinde’s high stakes pivot in the post-Ajit era Mumbai: The swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister has optically restored the Mahayuti’s "tripod" structure, but for Eknath Shinde and his Shiv Sena faction, the ground reality has shifted seismically. The sudden exit of Ajit Pawar—often seen as the "counterweight" in the alliance—has fundamentally rewritten Shinde’s survival equation. For the last two years, Shinde operated in a high-pressure "sandwich" between Devendra Fadnavis’s strategic command and Ajit Pawar’s administrative dominance. With the latter gone, Shinde is no longer just the "other" Deputy CM; he is now the operational anchor of the government, a shift that brings both immense opportunity and existential risk. Sunetra Pawar’s sudden elevation as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister after Ajit Pawar’s tragic death has also unsettled other Shiv Sena leaders, who publicly welcomed the move but privately expressed surprise and concern. The development reshapes the Mahayuti alliance, with Eknath Shinde caught between asserting his mass appeal and managing BJP’s growing dominance. Third Wheel Until last week, Eknath Shinde often found his administrative influence curtailed by Ajit Pawar’s aggressive style. Ajit "Dada" controlled the bureaucracy and the purse strings, often leaving Shinde’s MLAs complaining about stalled files and delayed funds. How the new reality would unfold is not yet clear. With Sunetra Pawar being a political novice inducted primarily for "sympathy" and "legacy" management, Shinde is now the sole experienced administrator alongside Fadnavis. The "administrative friction" that plagued Shinde’s faction is gone. In cabinet meetings and operational governance, Shinde’s voice will likely carry significantly more weight, as he is no longer competing for airtime with a heavyweight like Ajit Pawar. Finance Dilemma The decision by Chief Minister Fadnavis to retain the Finance and Planning portfolio—rather than handing it to Sunetra Pawar—is the single most critical development for the Shiv Sena. The good news is that Shinde’s MLAs will no longer have to beg an NCP Finance Minister for development funds—a major grievance that had threatened internal revolts in the Sena camp. However, it can also turn out to be the bad news, since financial power will be completely centralized within the BJP now. Previously, Shinde could subtly play the BJP and NCP against each other to extract resources. Now, he faces a monolithic BJP command center. If Fadnavis tightens the purse strings, Shinde has no "second door" to knock on. The BMC Bargaining Chip The immediate effects of Shinde’s new fears were seen in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other Municipal Corporations in the MMR, where insteady of bargaining for a larger share of power, the Shiv Sena under Shinde appeared to be content with whatever it got from the BJP and quietly accepting it. This was very unlikely of their track record till now and contrary to the party insiders who were very aggressive till last week sending out signals that Shinde would bargain strongly for the demands like Mayoral post in Mumbai to assert the ‘rights of Marathi Manoos’.

How Farmers Built a Rs 2,000 Crore Global Enterprise

It’s not sympathy. The farmers own the company. They bring the crops; Sahyadri does the rest. This is real business—with a Rs 2,000 crore turnover.

As schoolchildren, we often began essays with, ‘India is an agricultural country,’ without truly understanding what that meant. That changed for me after visiting Sahyadri Farms—a farmer-led enterprise that empowers small-scale growers to reach global markets with their produce.


In Nashik’s Mohadi village lies Sahyadri Farms—a hi-tech agricultural marvel where spirituality meets vineyards. Founded in 2013 by Mr Vilas Shinde, an agriculture engineering graduate, it reflects his choice to pursue farming over a stable job after completing his studies in 1996. Despite initial resistance from his family, who shared just 7 acres among seven brothers, his passion won them over.


Having witnessed farmers' struggles, he aimed to transform their lives. Inspired by Anna Hazare’s 'Aadarsh Gaon' model, he interned in a model village and focused on watershed management during post-graduate studies to tackle issues like water scarcity and soil erosion.


The next eight years brought repeated failures—from horticulture to mushroom and dairy farming—leaving Mr Shinde with a Rs 75 lakh debt but also hard-earned insight. He realised that big dreams alone weren’t enough; unfair pricing and market forces meant farmers barely broke even. Success requires both production and marketing skills.


In 2004, he turned to grape exports for better returns. He rallied 10 farmers, but when their shipment reached Europe, prices crashed, causing major losses. To understand why, he travelled to Europe, gaining a vital insight: global markets demand top-quality produce.


From 2004 to 2006, the team worked tirelessly. “Unity is strength” became their motto. The group grew from 10 to 100 farmers, adopted residue-free standards, and built a Standard Operating Procedure—from pruning to packaging. Their goal: not a single grape should fall short. This led to a full ecosystem—production, post-harvest, and marketing—geared to Europe.


By 2010, after years of trial and error, the team finally succeeded—debts were cleared, and Mr Shinde’s vision for an 'Aadarsh Gaon' and fair crop value seemed possible. But success was short-lived. European tests found chemical residue in the grapes due to a lack of proper Indian certification, leading to heavy losses. Mr Shinde sold his land to cover the farmers’ losses. This setback sparked a bigger idea—a corporate-style model to solve farmers’ challenges. In 2011, with 15 years of hard-won experience, Sahyadri Farms was founded in Mohadi, Nashik—a symbol of hope, built by farmers, for farmers.


Inspired by models like Amul and the sugar industry, Sahyadri applied focused R&D to grape farming with one goal: to reduce external dependence and build everything in-house to lead global exports. From 2011 to 2016, the team grew from 100 to 726 farmer-shareholders, becoming India’s largest grape exporter and a pioneering farmer-producer company. In 2015, Sahyadri expanded into aseptic and frozen processing, making pulps, crushes, and exports. By 2018, even Kissan outsourced its ketchup to them. Since 2016, farmers have earned above-market rates and take pride in their grapes reaching Europe. Today, Sahyadri exports a wide range of produce, like strawberries, bananas, mangoes, and more.


With large production units, cold storage, global supply chains, and packaging facilities, Sahyadri Farms has created nearly 4,000 jobs. By 2025, it grew from 726 to over 30,000 farmers on a 120-acre campus—a remarkable journey of scale and impact.


It also runs a Skill Development Centre with Tata STRIVE, offering expert training, infrastructure, and job placement to empower rural communities through agribusiness.


I had the chance to meet the CEO Mr Pramod Rajebhosale. He asked, “What did you learn here?” I replied, “I’m fascinated by how Sahyadri focuses on farmer welfare over profit…”


He cut in, “No! It’s not sympathy. Farmers own the company. They bring their crops; Sahyadri does the rest. This is real business—Rs 2,000 crore turnover.” I was impressed!


Sahyadri exports to over 42 countries, with 300 visitors daily. What stood out was its transparency—anyone can tour the factory. Visitors watch a powerful 35-mSinute video that moved me deeply and inspired this story.


Motivated, I researched extensively through interviews with Mr Shinde and Sahyadri’s website. It truly is a ‘Star Company’. Sahyadri should be on your bucket list—essential for anyone wanting to truly understand agriculture.


What began with 10 farmers has grown into a remarkable company, proving that ‘unity is strength’. Anyone who follows Sahyadri's journey is inspired to work hard, believing that their dreams will yield sweet fruit.


This quote perfectly captures the spirit at the heart of Sahyadri Farms.


“Kabhi haar mat mano, tumhari jeet intezaar kar rahi hai.”


(The writer is a student of CA and Law.)

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