You are on page 1of 3

Rural Marketing in India Economy

The concept of Rural Marketing in India Economy has always played an influential role in the lives of
people. In India, leaving out a few metropolitan cities, all the districts and industrial townships are
connected with rural markets.

The rural market in India is not a separate entity in itself and it is highly influenced by the sociological and
behavioral factors operating in the country. The rural population in India accounts for around 627 million,
which is exactly 74.3 percent of the total population.

The rural market in India brings in bigger revenues in the country, as the rural regions comprise of the
maximum consumers in this country. The rural market in Indian economy generates almost more than half
of the country's income. Rural marketing in Indian economy can be classified under two broad categories.
These are:

• The market for consumer goods that comprise of both durable and non-durable goods
• The market for agricultural inputs that include fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, and so on

The concept of rural marketing in India is often been found to form ambiguity in the minds of people who
think rural marketing is all about agricultural marketing. However, rural marketing determines the carrying
out of business activities bringing in the flow of goods from urban sectors to the rural regions of the country
as well as the marketing of various products manufactured by the non-agricultural workers from rural to
urban areas. To be precise, Rural Marketing in India Economy covers two broad sections, namely:

• Selling of agricultural items in the urban areas


• Selling of manufactured products in the rural regions

Some of the important features or characteristics of Rural Marketing in India Economy are being listed
below:

• With the initiation of various rural development programmes there have been an upsurge of
employment opportunities for the rural poor. One of the biggest cause behind the steady growth of
rural market is that it is not exploited and also yet to be explored.
• The rural market in India is vast and scattered and offers a plethora of opportunities in comparison
to the urban sector. It covers the maximum population and regions and thereby, the maximum
number of consumers.
• The social status of the rural regions is precarious as the income level and literacy is extremely low
along with the range of traditional values and superstitious beliefs that have always been a major
impediment in the progression of this sector.
• The steps taken by the Government of India to initiate proper irrigation, infrastructural
developments, prevention of flood, grants for fertilizers, and various schemes to cut down the
poverty line have improved the condition of the rural masses.
Indian Rural Market: A snapshot

Highlights:

• Indian Rural sector has not been impacted by the global economic slowdown
• India‘s Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector has grown consistently during
the last three to four years, reaching a size of US$ 25 billion, thanks to rural markets

• The Indian growth story has now spread to India's hinterlands. Rural India, home to
about two-thirds of the country's 1 billion population, is not just witnessing an
increase in its income but also in consumption and production.

Additionally, the rural economy has not been impacted by the global economic
slowdown, according to a recent study by the Rural Marketing Association of India
(RMAI). The study found that the rural and small town economy which accounts for
60 per cent of India's income has remained insulated from the economic slowdown.
Moreover, rural incomes are on the rise driven largely due to continuous growth in
agriculture for four consecutive years.

Lets look at some key sectors that benefit from this trend

FMCG:

FICCI says that in a clear defiance of the economic slowdown of the past 12 months,
India's Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector has grown consistently during
the last three to four years, reaching a size of US$ 25 billion (Rs. 120,000 crore)
Rural consumers spend around 13 per cent of their income, the second highest after
food (35 per cent), on fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), as per a RMAI study.
The FMCG industry in India was worth around US$ 16.03 billion in August 2008 and
the rural market accounted for a robust 57 per cent share of the total FMCG market
in India.
Most FMCG companies are now working on increasing their distribution in smaller
towns and focusing on marketing and operations program for semi-urban and rural
markets.
Industry analysts state that the increased consumption is also the result of a growing
middle class base in these markets. The total number of rural household is expected
to rise to 153 million in 2009-10 from 135 million in 2001-02, suggesting a huge
market.

Retail:

The rural retail market is currently estimated at US$112 billion, or around 40 per ent
of the US$ 280 billion retail market. Major domestic retailers like AV Birla, ITC,
Godrej, Reliance and many others have already set up farm linkages. Hariyali Kisan
Bazaars (DCM) and Aadhars (Pantaloon-Godrej JV), Choupal Sagars (ITC), Kisan
Sansars (Tata), Reliance Fresh, Project Shakti (Hindustan Unilever) and Naya Yug
Bazaar are established rural retail hubs.
Pharmaceuticals:

According to a report by McKinsey, the rural and tier-2 pharma market will account
for almost half of the growth till 2015. The tier-2 market will grow to 44 per cent by
2015, amounting to US$ 8.8 billion.

Telecommunication:

A Gartner forecast revealed that Indian cellular services revenue will grow at a
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4 per cent to touch US$ 25.6 billion by
2011, with most of the growth coming from rural markets. Also, a joint
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Ernst & Young report reveals that of the
next 250 million Indian wireless users, approximately 100 million (40 per cent) are
likely to be from rural areas, and by 2012, rural users will account for over 60 per
cent of the total telecom subscriber base in India.

Automobiles:

Passenger car and two-wheeler companies are driving on rural roads to push sales.
While growth in urban markets has been flat or negative, the rural markets are
booming, insulated from economic downturn. Rural markets' share in Maruti's overall
sales during April-January 2009 has gone up to 8.5 per cent from 3.5 per cent in the
same period last year.

Consumer durables:

A survey carried out by RMAI has revealed that 59 per cent of durables sales come
from rural markets.

According to FICCI, Consumer goods segment were also observed to post negative
growth of 3% during February 2009 compared to positive 11.7% in the
corresponding month of previous year. The growth in total consumer goods is seen
to erode due to fall in the growth of consumer non durables category

You might also like