B. R. Barwale

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B. R. Barwale (Badrinarayan Ramulal Barwale) was a pioneering Indian seed farmer and entrepreneur. Born in 1931 in Hingoli, then part of Nizam State (now Maharashtra), he began farming in the 1950s. He tested a high-yield okra hybrid he saw at a World Agricultural Fair in New Delhi. In 1964 he started the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) to grow and sell affordable, high-yield seeds. Mahyco built a network of farmers in the Marathwada region, offered loans and training, and used farmer feedback to improve seed varieties. He won the World Food Prize in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. Barwale died on 24 July 2017 in Mumbai at age 86.