Escorts Kubota rolls out tractor for paddy crop as it sharpens focus on south India

Escorts Kubota on Tuesday rolled out a tractor developed for the paddy-growing regions as the agriculture machinery and construction equipment maker sharpens focus on south India on its way to become a pan-India player.

Southern India is central to the next phase of growth as the company looks beyond the north and central regions where it has a strong presence, CMD Nikhil Nanda said. The new Powertrac Shaurya tractor, launched in the 39-52 HP category, has been designed specifically keeping the paddy growing Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in mind.

The company has set its sight on growing presence as a challenger in the south India, which while offering good growth prospects is also highly competitive. He hinted there will more launches, including a four-wheel drive tractor in about 4-5 months, as part Escorts Kubota’s strategy to introduce 8-10 application-led products every year, till FY31, to emerge as a pan India player.

The launch of Shaurya is to deepen presence in paddy markets and expand regional footprint, Mr.Nanda said.

All India tractor growth was 23% year on year for the 11 months ended February at more than 10.57 lakh units. The growth in the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka was 26% yoy at more than 1.61 lakh units, the company said, sharing industry wholesale numbers.

“Shaurya has been engineered specifically for paddy and wetland operations in southern markets to deliver reliability in demanding applications,” Deputy MD Akira Kato said.

On the joint venture with Japan’s Kubota, Mr.Nanda and senior members of the leadership team said the partnership has completed five years and all the entities have been merged. As part of the next phase of growth, Escorts Kubota board has approved acquisition of 154 acres in Greater Noida for a manufacturing facility to developed in multiple facilities over about 15 years beginning 2030. The first phase of investment is expected to be around ₹2,300 crore.