167 Years of Make in India, and China-Made OHV Engines With the Greaves Name, Say Its Dealers
Greaves has stood for Indian engineering since 1859. Its own dealers tell us many OHV engines and products fitted with OHV engines carrying the Greaves name come from China. We like Greaves, so we say this with a smile.
The short answer
Several Greaves channel partners who attended its Dealer Conference 2026 told IndianAgri that Greaves has sold China-made OHV engines and OHV engine-operated machines under its own name for a long time, including OHV petrol pump sets sold as Greaves, and that they are easy to find at dealers and on farms. Dealers also say Greaves does not manufacture OHV engines or OHV engine-operated products in any of its factories; it only stocks them. They say its power tillers sold until around 2019-20, and all its OHV petrol power weeders and brush cutters today, are China-made too. At the same conference Greaves unveiled a new OHV petrol engine which resembles a common Chinese design that Chinese factories make in large numbers. Greaves says the new OHV engine was developed by its own R&D team, but has not said where its OHV engines are made, and dealers say none of these R&D-developed OHV engines are in the field yet.
In short
What Greaves dealers told us
Several Greaves channel partners who attended the company's Dealer Conference 2026 told IndianAgri that Greaves has sold China-made OHV engines and OHV engine-operated machines under its own name for a long time, including OHV petrol pump sets sold as Greaves. Dealers also say Greaves does not manufacture OHV engines or OHV engine-operated products in any of its factories; it only stocks them. They add that the power tillers Greaves sold until around 2019-20 were made in China, and that all its OHV petrol-driven power weeders and its brush cutters are made in China today. They say these OHV engines are easy to find at Greaves dealers and on farms. The talk started after Greaves unveiled a new OHV petrol engine at the conference which resembles a common Chinese design that Chinese factories make in large numbers. Greaves has not said where its OHV engines are made. Greaves says the new OHV engine was developed by its own R&D team; dealers say none of these R&D-developed OHV engines are in the field yet.
This is an opinion piece. We like Greaves, so we say this with a smile.
What the dealers say
"Not a surprise," say the people who sell them
Greaves' own channel partners were the least surprised people in the room. Several of them told us that China-made OHV engines have carried the Greaves name for years. According to them, these OHV engines are sold on their own and also power other products sold as Greaves, such as petrol pump sets. Dealers also say Greaves does not manufacture OHV engines or OHV engine-operated products in any of its factories; it only stocks them.
“Greaves has been selling China-made products for a long time. This is not a surprise.”
— A Greaves dealer who attended the conference (name withheld at the dealer's request)
According to the dealers, it is not new, and it is not only OHV engines. The power tillers Greaves sold until around 2019-20 were also made in China, they say. Today, they told us, all of Greaves' OHV petrol-driven power weeders are made in China too, and so are its brush cutters. In their account, these products are bought from China at low prices and sold under the Greaves brand at a healthy margin.
The dealers also say the strategy has cost Greaves its farm business. By their account, the turnover of Greaves' agri segment fell from more than ₹150 crore a few years ago to less than ₹25 crore last year, and they blame the China-made selling strategy, which they say continues today. Greaves has not confirmed these figures.
They say these OHV engines are not hard to find. They sit on the shelves of many Greaves dealers and run on farms whose owners bought them as Greaves products. The partners spoke to us on condition that we do not name them, since they sell for the company.
Why it came up now
A red cloth, some stage smoke, and a familiar OHV engine
On 21 October 2026, at 7:07 pm, Greaves posted an 82-second video on LinkedIn of its Dealer Conference 2026, themed "Powering Progress". Slides promised more products and more markets. Awards went out to the best dealers of the year.
Then came the big moment: stage smoke, a screen reading "Greaves OHV Series", and a red cloth pulled off a small red OHV petrol engine. Anyone who has bought a petrol pump set or a power weeder knows that face: red tank on top, black air filter on the side, pull-start at the front. It is the common Chinese OHV engine design that factories in China make by the lakh and sell to brands around the world to put their own name on.
| What it is | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled OHV petrol engine |
| Where Indian farmers meet OHV engines | Petrol pump sets, sprayers, power weeders, mini tillers, small gensets |
| What Greaves called it | "Greaves OHV Gasoline Engine prototype" |
| Who developed it, per Greaves | Its own R&D team (CEO's LinkedIn post, 13 October 2026) |
| Where Greaves says its OHV engines are made | Not stated |
Greaves does say one thing. In a LinkedIn post on 13 October 2026, its CEO wrote that the new OHV engine "has been developed by our own R&D team". He did not say where it is manufactured, and dealers say none of these R&D-developed OHV engines are in the field yet. Developed is not the same as made, and the dealers' point is about imports: they say Greaves OHV engines are brought in from China. For them, this was simply the newest member of an imported OHV engine family they already know well.
The applause
Let's celebrate it properly
- 👏 167 years of Indian engineering, and an OHV engine supply chain that reaches all the way to China. That is global thinking.
- 👏 The slide said "Powering Progress". Very true. It just didn't mention whose factory.
- 👏 Farmers get the Greaves name, a supplier somewhere gets the order for the OHV engines, and everybody gets a pump set. Teamwork.
- 👏 The dealers knew it, the farmers have it, and now the stage has it too. Finally, full transparency.
- 👏 Full marks for the stage smoke. Truly made in India.
Mazak apart
Why it matters
We tease Greaves because we like Greaves. The company traces its roots to 1859 in Bombay, and for generations Greaves has powered autos, pump sets, gensets and farm machines across India. It built them here when importing was the easier road. Few Indian companies have a better claim to "Make in India".
That is exactly why this made us smile, and then smile a little less. Small OHV petrol engines are where a lot of farm mechanisation in India starts: the pump that waters the field, the weeder that saves a week of hired labour. A farmer who buys a Greaves OHV engine or pump set is buying 167 years of trust, and assumes it was made the way his father's Greaves pump set was made: here. If many of these OHV engines come from China, the farmer deserves to know, and Greaves deserves the chance to bring that work home. Few companies are better placed to make small OHV engines in India, at scale, with service in every district.
Our request
A friendly challenge to Greaves
Dear Greaves, you have 167 years of goodwill and a room full of dealers who believe in you. Tell farmers plainly which Greaves OHV engines, and pump sets made with these OHV engines, are made in India and which come from China. Then bring the OHV engines home to a Greaves plant, and we will write the loudest, happiest applause story on IndianAgri ourselves. Stage smoke optional. Promise.
And if we have this wrong, tell us. If these OHV engines are designed or made in India, we will say so here, at the top of this page, in your words.
Why it matters
Small OHV petrol engines power the pump sets, sprayers and weeders where farm mechanisation in India starts. A farmer buying a Greaves OHV engine is buying on 167 years of Indian trust and deserves to know where it was made.
Frequently asked
Does Greaves sell China-made OHV engines?
Several Greaves channel partners who attended its Dealer Conference 2026 told IndianAgri that it has done so for a long time, including OHV petrol pump sets sold under the Greaves name. Dealers also say Greaves does not manufacture OHV engines or OHV engine-operated products in any of its factories and only stocks them. Greaves says its new OHV engine was developed by its own R&D team, but has not said where its OHV engines are made, and dealers say none of these R&D-developed OHV engines are in the field yet. We have asked it to say where its OHV engines are made.
Which other Greaves products do dealers say come from China?
According to Greaves channel partners who spoke to IndianAgri, the power tillers Greaves sold until around 2019-20 were made in China, and all its OHV petrol-driven power weeders and brush cutters are made in China today. They say these products are bought from China at low prices and sold under the Greaves brand at a healthy margin. Greaves has not responded to this.
What has happened to Greaves' agri business, according to its dealers?
Greaves dealers told IndianAgri that the turnover of its agri segment fell from more than ₹150 crore a few years ago to less than ₹25 crore last year, and they blame the strategy of selling China-made products under the Greaves name, which they say continues. Greaves has not confirmed these figures.
Where can these OHV engines be found?
According to the dealers we spoke to, at many Greaves dealers, and on farms that bought them as Greaves OHV engines or pump sets.
What did Greaves show at Dealer Conference 2026?
A small single-cylinder OHV petrol engine, shown under a "Greaves OHV Series" banner and captioned "Greaves OHV Gasoline Engine prototype". It resembles a common Chinese design that Chinese factories make in large numbers.
What is an OHV engine?
OHV means overhead valve: the valves sit in the cylinder head above the piston. Most small four-stroke petrol engines on pump sets, weeders and tillers today are OHV engines, because they run cooler and use less fuel than the older side-valve designs.
How can a farmer check where an OHV engine or pump set was made?
Look at the rating plate and the box. Imported packaged goods sold in India must show the country of origin. If it is not shown, ask the dealer for it in writing before you pay.
Source
- Greaves CEO on LinkedIn: the new OHV engine "developed by our own R&D team", 13 October 2026
- Greaves on LinkedIn: Dealer Conference 2026 video, posted 21 October 2026
This is an opinion piece. What happened on stage is taken from the video Greaves posted on LinkedIn on 21 October 2026. The account of China-made OHV engines comes from Greaves channel partners who attended the conference and asked not to be named; the quoted dealer's words are their own. Greaves' CEO wrote on LinkedIn on 13 October 2026 that the OHV engine was developed by Greaves' own R&D team; Greaves has not said where its OHV engines are made and is welcome to reply here. The turnover figures are the dealers' account; Greaves has not confirmed them.
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