The Pune startup founder who has been invited as a special guest to Delhi’s Red Fort on Independence Day

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 linkedin 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” which means “Peace With Prosperity”– 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 a Village-Level Collection Centers. Their patented mobile units travel to the source of the waste and convert these 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, 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. Ministry of Steel appointed Jagtap as a member of the National Task Force for the Green Steel Initiative for his expertise in biochar. 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.