At 10 am every day, small vans and pick-up trucks leave villages of Khed, Junnar, Ahmednagar, among others, carrying farmers and their produce, and reach Pune by late afternoon. At 4 pm, farmers’ markets with fresh vegetables straight from the fields open on specific days of the week in Magarpatta, Wagholi, and Karve Nagar, among other locations in Pune and Mumbai.
The buyers have been waiting for them and the bustle continues till 9 pm, after which the empty vans wind their way back. This weekly farmers’ market in Pune operates under the banner Wingrow Agritech Producer Company Limited.
This year, Wingrow’s farmers are collectively expected to achieve a business turnover of Rs 450 crore. Last year, they sold Rs 240 crore worth of farm products. In November, Wingrow emerged as a winner in the rural category of the 13th National Conference on Social Innovation. The Pune International Centre organised the competition.
It has been a long journey for Mayur Pawar, the son of a farmer from Mhase village in Shirur, who had once struggled to pay his fees. “My father used to grow good-quality rice, but we did not have market linkages. The middlemen would reap the benefits and we used to get very little money. They would buy the products from us and set their prices,” says Pawar.
There was only one way out of the tunnel. Still in college in 2017, Pawar set up the company with 20 farmers. He visualised a platform that would provide direct market linkages for marginal and small landholding farmers, women self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, and farmer producer companies.
Today, there are 6,500 farmers and Wingrow operates 46 physical farmers’ markets in Pune and Mumbai. “It was a challenge to convince the farmers. Over generations, farmers had become accustomed to selling their products from home. It was outside their imagination to come to the market in Pune and sell to customers,” says Pawar.
Once farmers began coming to the city, Pawar realised they couldn’t interact with buyers. “We needed to train them. Yeh sab choti-choti jo cheezein hain, unpe dhyan diya (we paid attention to the small details).”
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Then, he turned the focus to the main marketing. “We worked on branding and social media engagement. We asked ourselves, ‘What do customers need and what are we supplying? ‘ This is how we carried out the mapping of our market and prepared ourselves,” says Pawar.
Boost for women cultivators
Earlier this year, he started Wingrow Sakhi Market in Pune to help women cultivators by providing them with a source of livelihood.
“We have also developed India’s first stall booking platform for Women self-help groups, marginal, and small landholding farmers, encouraging them to plan sales efficiently, access real-time demand-supply insights, and reduce food waste,” he says.
Soon, there will also be an IoT-based weighing machine, which will do more than weigh vegetables.
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“The weighing machine will allow all the data to hit our servers. Not only will the buyers get an accurate measurement, but they will also get a digital bill. The farmers will be able to study the data to understand the demand trends in individual markets. This will help us predict market unit trends and farmers can carry out production accordingly,” says Pawar.
He adds that the enterprise is committed to Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG13), the United Nations’s call for action to combat climate change, and is promoting sustainable agriculture and building climate resilience in multiple ways.
“We have started a processed food unit to use up excess produce and reduce wastage. We are processing moringa, beetroot and broccoli chips, among others, which are doing very well in the market,” he says. And this, he says, is just the start.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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