The Pune startup founder whom Narendra Modi has invited to Delhi's Red Fort on Independence Day

Indian Express

4 days ago

If everything had gone according to plan, Krunal Jagtap would have been earning more than Rs 8 lakh per annum at a major ed-tech firm in Mumbai. Instead, the Pune-based founder of HAB Biomass Pvt Ltd is going to be a guest of honour at the Independence Day celebration in Delhi's Red Fort on invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jagtap, a mechanical engineer, had quit his campus placement job in 2016 because the work wasn't what he had expected. Belonging to a lower middle-class family, Jagtap returned to his village, Markal, on the outskirts of Pune, with a question, 'Kal se karna kya hai? (What do I do from tomorrow?).' It was a very disturbing kind of feeling.
Jagtap has had a singular rule since his student days – when in doubt on any matter, consult the leading expert on the subject. Hence, Jagtap directly walked into the office of the agriculture commissioner Anil Deshmukh and told him that he wanted to do 'something' in the field of rural resources.
In 2016, sustainability was yet to become a buzzword and Deshmukh directed Jagtap towards organic fertilizers. With the guidance of several bureaucrats, Jagtap became a leading producer of vermicompost. His clients ranged from nurseries, who appreciated quality, to high-end apartments with lavish balcony gardens, whose owners had the wallet to pay for a good product. By 2018, Jagtap was among the few from India to be exporting vermicompost to Qatar.
'But, I was on a search to find other ways to turn waste into gold,' says Jagtap. It was Instagram that turned Jagtap's attention to a raw material that was lying, literally, under his nose – agricultural waste. Jagtap remembered himself as a young child who once held fire in his hands, ready to burn agricultural waste as everyone around him did. 'Even then, I used to wonder, 'What if there's another way? What if this waste could become something valuable?' he says.
HAB Biomass – the HAB stands for 'Halcyon and Bonanza' – started harnessing biomass, such as crop residues and unwanted materials from farm and livestock, into biomass briquettes and pellets for clean energy, biochar and vermicompost for soil health and nutritious cattle feed blocks for livestock. India produces 350 million tonnes of agro waste every year, according to a survey by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The work of companies, such as HAB Biomass, is of great value.
HAB Biomass procures agricultural and biomass waste directly from farmers through village-level collection centres. Their patented mobile units travel to the source of the waste and convert them into pellets, briquettes and engineered biochar on-site. 'This decentralized model minimizes transportation costs and carbon emissions,' says Jagtap.
According to a statement from the company, 'By converting waste into valuable products at the source, we empower rural communities by creating job opportunities and fostering economic growth. Our model provides employment opportunities, supports sustainable farming practices, and contributes to the local economy.'
Jagtap continues to work with leaders in the field, such as IIT Dhanbad, which are converting biomass into green hydrogen. He is focused on getting it right than getting it fast. The attitude has caught the attention of experts.
The Pune International Centre (PIC), which scouts for social impact innovators, discovered him in 2023. He is being mentored by Ram Iyer and Sangeeta Kale from PIC. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia appointed Jagtap as a member of the National Task Force, Ministry of Steel for the Green Steel Initiative.
The entrepreneur has also received several awards and honours. 'A lot of startups fall apart because they are in a rush to scale. My opinion is that we will scale, 100 per cent we will do. But, let's get things right first,' he says.
Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More