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Leaders in India. Poised to take on the world.
For over two decades, Mahindra Tractors is the undisputed leader of the Indian tractor market, which is
the largest tractor market in the world. A division of over US$ 6 billion conglomerate, Mahindra &
Mahindra, we began as a joint venture with International Harvester. And with that began a new era in
power, control and reliability in farm equipment manufacturing. Today, with the largest manufacturing
set up in India, Mahindra Tractors is among the top three players in the global market. And as we step
into the 27th year of excellence, we continue on our journey of cultivating golden harvests across the
globe.
Mahindra Tractors conferred with the global honour.
In the year 2003, Mahindra Tractors bagged the Deming Prize, a global honour for quality practices.
Three years later, the company was eligible to qualify for the Japan Quality Medal, the highest honour
for excellence in Total Quality Management practices. In 2007, Mahindra Tractors became one of the 20
companies worldwide to receive this rare honour. Till date, we are the only tractor company in the world
to bag this prestigious award.
Mahindra Tractors goes global.
Mahindra Tractors have reached all four corners of the world. And wherever we went, we?ve proved
ourselves nothing less than the best. That explains the great demand for Mahindra tractors across the
United States, Australia, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa & Syria etc among many more.
In the US market, Mahindra USA, a subsidiary company of Mahindra tractors, sells more than 10,000
tractors annually. A nationwide network of over 300 dealers, total product support and prompt after
sales service ensure that every tractor functions for years without any hassles.
Another big leap took us past the Great Wall of China. We acquired Jiangling Motor Co., to form
Mahindra China Tractor Company Ltd. (MCTCL). Started operation with Jiangsu Yueda Yancheng
Tractor Manufacturing Co. in the year 2008 & formed MYYTCL.The 18-35 HP tractors manufactured
here cater to domestic as well as overseas markets.
From China, we crossed the Pacific Ocean and entered the Australian farms. Assembled at Mahindra
Australia, these tractors are sold all over the Australian continent. The variety includes a range of 2WD
and 4WD compact tractors (20-30 HP range) and utility tractor models (45-85 HP range) along with
attachments like loaders and mowers. These attachments can also be put to multiple uses with utmost
reliability and ease.
Heading eastwards from Australia, we entered the European continent and launched Mahindra Tractors
at the Novi Sad fair in May 2005. Today, we have a significant presence in Turkey, Macedonia and
Serbia.
In the massive African continent we have already spread across 20 countries that include Angola,
Tchad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan, The Gambia, Zambia, Egypt,
Algeria, Ghana, Niger, Uganda, Tanzania, Mallawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana & South Africa.
Besides that we have set up assembly plants in Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria Mali & Tchad, which were
technically guided and commissioned along with our channel partners in these countries. And it won’t be
too long before our brand of red tractors are found across the rest of the African continent.
But the journey doesn?t end here. We look forward to tapping the remotest farms of the globe and
continue to cultivate countless smiles.
On the positive side, Mahindra & Mahindra is a trusted name. It has strong brand equity
in rural markets which contribute 40 per cent to two-wheeler sales in the country. It has
a wide distribution network in place. Most important, it has done a successful transition
from tractors and commercial vehicles to cars, though these markets have nothing in
common. The Scorpio is the largest-selling sports utility vehicle in the country. So, its
ability to sell two-wheelers cannot be doubted.
Still, Mahindra & Mahindra did not want to leave anything to chance. It touched base
with 7,500 respondents across the country last year to check if the foray into two-
wheelers
made sense. Most of them said that a Mahindra two-wheeler doesn¶t sound
outrageous. That gave the company the confidence to roll out its two-wheeler plans.
First off the
block is its range of gearless scooters. (Motorcycles will have to wait till next year
perhaps because the company does not want to rush to the market with a me-too
product.)
But the scooter market is no less competitive. At one stage, it was on oxygen. Stylish
and fuel efficient motorcycles had more or less killed the market for scooters. So much
so,
market leader Bajaj Auto decided to vacate the space. But the market has bounced
back in the last few years because of two reasons: One, scooters now offer mileage that
is
not very different from motorcycles; and two, scooters require lesser maintenance
than motorcycles because they are used in large numbers by women who are
cautious
drivers. Honda leads the pack with a market share of 53 per cent, followed by TVS (21
per cent), Hero Honda (14 per cent) and Suzuki (8 per cent). Mahindra & Mahindra¶s
share is a tad above
Retail
The rural retail market is currently estimated at US$ 112 billion, or around 40 per cent of
the US$ 280 billion Indian retail market, according to a study paper, 'The Rise of Rural
India', by an industry body.
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is planning to significantly increase its rural reach. According
to Harish Manwani, Chairman, HUL, the quality and quantity of rural coverage will go up
to the extent that "what we have done in the last 25 years we want to do it in the next
two years." Currently HUL products reach approximately 250,000 rural retail outlets and
the company intends to scale it up to nearly 750,000 outlets in two years time.
Direct selling firm Tupperware India, known for its storage containers plans to foray into
the rural markets in the next two-three years. "We have solid plans for the rural market.
We are working on bringing products for rural people as well," said Asha Gupta,
Managing Director, Tupperware India.
Castrol India is pushing its rural sales by building up a distribution infrastructure to reach
out to all villages. According to Ravi Kirpalani, Chief Operating Officer, Castrol India,
"Our distribution now reaches 5,000-7,000 towns and villages, but we are planning to
take our products to six lakh villages with a population of less of 5,000.''
Services
th
because this is a business that links the Mahindra Group to rural India and it has always
been ahead of the curve. Long before others recognised the potential of rural India, your
company took a decision to serve the needs of India’s rural customers. The rural
customer has repaid us with his patronage, his faith and his trust. MMFSL is today the
largest non-banking rural finance company in India and its IPO last year was subscribed
27 times. Your company’s faith in the rural sector has paid off handsomely.
In the financial year 2006 –2007, your Company crossed a major landmark when its
disbursements crossed the Rs 5000 crore mark. Disbursements for the year registered a
growth of 22 percent at Rs. 5441 crores as compared to Rs. 4478 crores in the previous year.
penetration into deeper rural areas with tailor made financial products. The number of
contracts entered into by your Company during 2006-07 rose from 1, 31,158 in the previous
year to 1, 73,110.
The Company’s expanded portfolio under which it now undertakes car financing, two
wheeler financing and pre-used vehicles financing also contributed to this growth. During
the year, your Company became one of the preferred financiers for financing vehicles
In 2006-07, your company expanded its reach, and opened 98 new branches, taking its total
st
March 2007.
Your Directors are pleased to report a growth of 42 percent in your Company’s income,
1 crores during the previous year. Profit before tax (PBT) was 25 percent higher at Rs.202.7
crores than the PBT of Rs.162.2 crores during the previous year. Profit after tax also grew at
Your Directors are pleased to recommend a total Dividend of 40% (20% interim and 20%
In the first quarter of the current financial year, your Company disbursed Rs. 1590 crores
During 2006-07, MIBL reached the important milestone of selling more than 100,000
policies. 134,741 retail policies were sold in both life and non-life segments. The
customized life insurance cover ‘Mahindra Loan Suraksha’ grew by 75 percent. The
number of lives covered grew from 34,171 to 59,747. The sum assured rose from 743.5
crores in 2005-06 to Rs.1, 257.8 crores in 2006-07. A substantial portion of this came
In the non-life retail segment, (primarily coming from motor insurance business in the
rural markets,) MIBL achieved a growth of 167 percent, from 28,075 cases in 2005-06 to
74,994 cases in 2006-07. Profit Before Tax increased by 33.3 percent from Rs.4.5 crore
in 2005-06 to Rs. 6 crore in 2006-07, and Profit After Tax increased by 31 percent from
th
Anniversary
of our holding company, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the Board of your Company had
resolved to contribute up to 1 percent of estimated Profit After Tax (PAT) for CSR
2 institutions during the year under review. It is our privilege to make this contribution and
In spite of agricultural stagnation, rural and semi-urban markets in India have witnessed
structural changes over the last decade or so. There seems to be evidence to indicate that
the benefits of growth and development are being reflected in the income and expenditure
trends. This would suggest that the rural sector and the agricultural sector are no longer
synonymous and that rural markets now offer great opportunity for marketing a wide
There are 5 major factors that explain this attractiveness. First, the spending power of
rural India has gone up and this trend is expected to continue. Over one-third of the
Second, the increase in rural incomes, has led to a gradual shift in consumption from food
Sample Survey Organisation, the percentage of expenditure on food items in rural areas
has come down from 65 percent in 1993-94 to 55 percent in 2004-05. Equally — and
perhaps more importantly — the percentage share of expenditure on non-food items such
as consumer goods and services, education, medical and durable goods has increased
disproportionately
Third, the awareness levels of people in rural areas has increased manifold in the last few
years due to the advent of better and cheaper telecommunication, travel infrastructure,
television and print media coupled with a general rise in literacy levels. This, along with
rising incomes, has brought about a substantial upgradation in the living standards and
life-styles of a section of rural consumers, bringing them very close to their urban
3 Fourthly, some of the recent large-scale infrastructure development initiatives such as the
close to 50 per cent of the income generated there now comes from industry and services,
The convergence of these factors, along with the fact that urban markets for many goods
and services are becoming increasingly saturated, is making rural markets, with their low
Going forward, your Company plans to expand its portfolio and leverage its large client
base by providing a wide range of financial products and services through its nationwide
has firmed up its plans to enter the housing loan market (in rural and semi urban markets
to begin with). A subsidiary company has been incorporated to carry out this business.
Your Company plans to develop its mutual fund distribution business over time
and is also considering entering the market for commercial vehicles and construction
equipment this year. It plans to enter the personal loan space as well. This is a large
market and will bring your company into exciting competition with traditional sources of
time.
I cannot close without acknowledging the support that our customers, shareholders,
vehicle manufacturers, dealers, banks, financial institutions, and mutual funds, have
extended to us throughout the year. As for our employees, it is their excellent efforts that
4 have made the company what it is. To all these stakeholders, on behalf of the Board of
Overview
Farm Equipment Sector (FES) is a part of US $6.3 billion
Mahindra group, which is amongst the top 10 industrial
houses in India. The group has a leading presence in key
sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial
services, trade, retail and logistics, automotive components,
after-market, information technology, hospitality and real
estate. Mahindra has recently made an entry in the two-
wheeler segment.
The Mahindra group's Farm Equipment Sector (FES) is amongst the top three
tractor brands in the world. It has won the Japan Quality Medal in 2007. It also
holds the distinction of being the first tractor company globally to win the Deming
Application Prize in 2003. FES is the first tractor company worldwide to win these
honors. This shows the strong focus of FES on Quality and Customer Satisfaction.
Today, the domestic market share of FES is around 42%. (Mahindra brand: 30%
and Swaraj brand: 12%).
The motto of FES is to usher prosperity; for its customers, dealers, employees,
society and all other stakeholders.FES has 6 state-of-the-art manufacturing plants
(including 2 plants of Swaraj) in India, 2 plants in China, 3 assembly plants in USA
and 1 assembly plant in Australia. FES has a presence in around 25 countries
across six continents with more than 1000 dealers world-wide.
FES has a subsidiary agricultural tractor manufacturing company in India known
as Mahindra Gujarat Tractor Limited (MGTL).
Mahindra Group has commenced the Sustainability Reporting from 2008. Today,
M&M group is amongst the few Indian companies to have an A+ GRI certification.
As per the commitments given by the Group under GRI framework, significant
reduction in usage of electricity, water and solid waste is called for. To make FES
employees aware on the tenants of sustainability, various initiatives like easily
accessible information on sustainability, setting up of permanent sustainability
corners in all FES plants, observing of energy conservation month etc. are
undertaken.
FES has a Sustainability Committee in place to take care of the implementation of
GRI requirements.
* Legal Entity -Mahindra Shubhlabh Services Limited
Overview
In fact, the Gio was destined to be a leader even before it was launched. After all it
boasts of an impressive lineage, since Mahindra is the biggest player in the small
commercial vehicle segment, where combined sales of its pick-ups and 3 wheelers
cross 7000 vehicles every month. And hallmarks of all these vehicles include their
rugged build, low operating costs and powerful yet fuel efficient engines.
While the world-class Scorpio (declared to be the ‘Car of the Year’ by CNBC
Autocar, BBC Wheels and Business Standard Motoring) is the Automotive Sector’s
current flagship, it has many more products that have made it popular with
individuals and institutions in India and the world. The Automotive Sector of the
Mahindra Group is currently present in the multi-utility vehicle, light commercial
vehicle and three-wheeler segments. Now, with its joint ventures, it will have a
presence in the passenger car and the medium and heavy commercial vehicle
segments too.
DESIGN
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
The heart of a tractor is a powerful internal combustion engine thatdrives
the wheels to provide forward motion. Direct ignition (diesel) and spark-driven engines
are both found on tractors, just as with cars and light trucks.Power from the engine can
be transmitted to the implement being used through apower take-off (PTO) shaft or belt
pulley. The engine also provides energy for theelectrical system, including the ignition
system and lights, etc.
In Tractor the machine is little more than an engine on wheels, witha seat
for the operator and a hitch for pulling implements centered in the rear.Later models
would feature an enclosed cab to keep the operator out of theweather; it features simple
controls and the metal seat. The drawing shows awheel-tractor, which comprised more
than 95% of machines sold for farm use.Tracked units also called crawler tractors.
MODELS
(6)
P’s
PRODUCT
The tractor is used for pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or
trailers, for plowing, tilling, disking, harrowing, planting, and similar tasks. In 1892,
John Froelich built the first gasoline powered tractor in Clayton County, Iowa.
The tractor is a simple open vehicle with two very large drivingwheels on
an axle below and slightly behind a single seat (the seat and steeringwheel
consequently are in the center) and the engine in front of the driver withtwo steerable
wheels below the engine compartment. This basic design hasremained unchanged for a
number of years, but enclosed cabs are fitted onalmost all modern models, for reasons
of operator safety and comfort.
Tractors used belts wrapped around pulleys to power
stationaryequipment. Modern tractors use a power take-off shaft to provide rotary power
tomachinery that may be stationary or pulled. .
PLACE
Of India’s total geographical area of 329 million-hectares (MHA), asmuch
as 166 MHA is arable (2nd highest in the world). While the net sown areastands around
140-142 MHA, with increased cropping intensity, the grosscropped area is higher at
180-189 MHA.
Tractors remain the crucial linkage in the commercialisation ofagricultural
products. For farming activities, there is no substitute to tractors.Increasing rural
prosperity and education levels plus spreading awareness of thebenefits from
mechanization would also help speed up tractorisation. It is equallytrue even when
power or transportation needs of the farm are considered.
For BAJRANG TRACTOR the place which in which the company will
start its business is
North
(Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh)
West
(Gujarat & Maharashtra)
(9)
PRICE
PRODUCT NAME
SEGMEMT
PRICE
HC 2521
25 Horse Power
4,25,000/-
HC 2522
29 Horse Power
4,40,000/-
HC 3221
35 Horse Power
7,25,000/-
HC 3444
37Horse Power
7,40,000/-
The above prices include 20% profit, which is due to incres the
sales of company, than it will be increased as per the marketing stratergy.
Promotion
As the promotion part is considered, along with the huge
advertisingcompaign that the company is carrying out I will also carry out the
basicpromotional activities necessary for boosting the sales of the product like
keepingstalls in Melas (Fairs) which will expose the companies whole range to all type
ofcustomers and promotion can also be done by providing seasonal schemes to getthe
focus of the customer in every season.
(10)
DISTRIBUTION
Initially BAJRANG TRACTORS will have the 150 dealers in
theplaces of sale than it will increase its dealer’s distribution network. If
needarise the company will also appoint some retail outlet in the villages
forpenetration in market.
(11)
BAJRANG
COMPANY
DEALERS
CUSTOMERS
Introduction
For quite some time now, the lure of rural India has been the subject of an-
imated discussion in corporate suites. And there is a good reason too. With
urban markets getting saturated for several categories of consumer goods and
with rising rural incomes, marketing executives are fanning out and discov-
ering the strengths of the large rural markets as they try to enlarge their
markets. Today, the idea has grown out of its infancy and dominates discus-
the Godrej group that is in a range of businesses from real estate and per-
consumers are not brand and quality conscious. A survey by the National
with urban incomes. From 55 to 58 per cent of the average urban income
2001-02 and touched almost 66 per cent in 2004-05. The rural middle class is
growing at 12 per cent against the 13 per cent growth of its urban counter-
part. Even better, the upper income class those with household incomes of
rural component. Higher rural incomes have meant larger markets. Already,
Kanoi Marketing Planning Services says that the rural market for FMCG
is worth $14.4 billion, far ahead of the market for tractors and agri-inputs
which is estimated at $10 billion. Rural India also accounts for sales of $1.7
billion for cars, scooters and bikes and over one billion dollars of durables.
wonder that even MNCs have cottoned on to the idea of a resurgent rural
India waiting to happen. Four years ago, Coke ventured into the hinterland.
Now Coke's rural growth of 37 per cent far outstrips its urban growth of 24
Its global rival Pepsico took a wider approach to the business when it was
3given permission to set up shop in India in the late 1980s and investment
in food processing and farming was a pre-condition for entry. The company
In
ve years, productivity improved from 16 tonnes to 52 tonnes per hectare
and there was a tomato glut in the state. Farmers weren't complaining be-
cause even though prices fell, their incomes increased because of the huge
state and other parts of the country for its brand of Tropicana fruit juices,
to replace imported fruit. Hindustan Lever Ltd, the $2.3 billion Indian sub-
sidiary of Unilever, the country's largest FMCG company, has also got on the
bandwagon. It's Project Shakti uses self-help groups across the country to
push Lever products deeper into the hinterland. Its four-pronged programme
spread literacy. There are currently over 15,000 Shakti entrepreneurs, most
s 640,000 villages, touching the lives of over 600 million people. With such
ciency and serve the interest of every stakeholder in the chain the farmer, the
processor, the retailer and the consumer. As Ashok Gulati of the US-based
International Food Policy Research Institute put its, The future of Indian
agriculture in general and the farmer in particular depends on the how soon
they can become globally competitive. Indian economic policy realises this.
Between the 8th (1992-97) and the 10th (2002-07) Five Year Plans, succes-
sive governments have tripled the spending on rural development from $6.82
All this potential has got India's big business houses rushing to enter
and expand rural businesses. Telecom giant Sunil Mittal, chairman of the $2
sive' phase of demand for cellular connections is going to come from the
agriculture and transform the country into a global food basket, he points
model farm in Punjab. If the hinterland has caught the attention of Mittal,
among the country's most recent entrants to the ranks of big business, it has
also not escaped the radar of the oldest business house, the $17 billion Tata
group, which has consolidated its rural operations. The group's two compa-
nies, Tata Chemicals and Rallis India, ran separate rural initiatives till 2003.
advisory services. Rallis, on the other hand, was partnering ICICI Bank and
Hindustan Lever in o
ering deals to farmers that covered operations from the
and Tata Kisan Sansar, a network of onestop shops providing everything from
inputs to know-how to loans, was launched. Today, the Tata Kisan Sansar
has 421 franchisee-run centres in three states and reaches out to over 3.6 mil-
lion farmers. Like the Tatas, the $2.6 billion Mahindra group has successfully
established a synergy between its current businesses and the planned rural
forays. Its
agship, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is India's largest farm equip-
Mahindra tractor customer base and the 400-plus dealer network, to provide
establish market linkages to the commodity market chain. Its retailing arm,
yield in Rajasthan through a new seed sourced from the state of Maharash-
tra, and it has also introduced a new variety of grapes in Maharashtra. Says
what the market requires, improving the crop yield and decreasing the cost
arm of the World Bank, which recently picked up a 27 per cent stake in the
company. Rural India accounts for a market worth $27 billion. No wonder
2 Strategies
ITY PERCEPTION
Companies are coming up with new technology and they are properly commu-
technology is very crucial. The perception of the Indian about the desired
and the utilities derived out of it. As a rural Indian customer always wanted
value for money with the changed perception, one can notice di
erence in
LANGUAGE
local language for promoting their products. They have started selling the
the Indian customer outlook about quality. With their promotion, rural
If one go to villages they will see that villagers using Toothpaste, even when
they can use Neem or Babool sticks or Gudakhu, villagers are using soaps
like Nima rose, Breeze, Cinthol etc. even when they can use locally man-
ufactured very low priced soaps. Villagers are constantly looking forward
for new branded products. What can one infer from these incidents, is the
was never price sensitive, but they want value for money. They are ready to
the premium.
CIAL VALUES
Companies have recognized that social and cultural values have a very strong
hold on the people. Cultural values play major role in deciding what to buy.
Moreover, rural people are emotional and sensitive. Thus, to promote their
The customers want value for money. They do not see any value in frills
associated with the products. They aim for the basic functionality. However,
if the seller provide frills free of cost they are happy with that. They are
has launched, seven models of Cellular Phones of high technology but none
took o
. On the other hand, "Nokia" has launched a simple product, which
Shahrukh Khan are chosen as a brand ambassador for MNC quartz clock
maker "OMEGA" even though when they have models like Cindy Crawford.
MNCs are associating themselves with India by talking about India, by ex-
plicitly saying that they are Indian. M-TV during Independence Day and
Republic daytime make their logo with Indian tri-color. Nokia has designed
a new cellular phone 5110, with the India tri-colour and a ringing tone of
Companies are promoting Indian sports teams so that they can associate
launched a campaign "LG ki Dua, all the best". ITC is promoting Indian
cricket team for years, during world cup they have launched a campaign
visualize himself/herself with the product, he /she becomes loyal to it. That
family.
UCTS
drinking water, keep cooked food fresh, and to withstand long power cuts.
Companies use Indian words for brands. Like LG has used India brand name
"Sampoorna" for its newly launched TV. The word is a part of the Bengali,
Hindi, Marathi and Tamil tongue. In the past one year, LG has sold one lakh
By the end of 1999, roughly 12Thats Rs 114 crore worth of TV sets sold in
As Indian brands are operating in India for a long time and they enjoy a
good reputation in India. MNCs have found that it is much easier for them
has acquired two Indian brands Kelvinator and Allwyn this has gave them
believe these brands. Similarly Coke has acquired Thumps up, Gold Spot,
Citra and Limca so that they can kill these brands, but later on they realized
that to survive in the market and to compete with their competitor they have
Media Rural marketing is being used by companies. They can either go for
the traditional media or the modern media. The traditional media include
9melas, puppetry, folk theatre etc. while the modern media includes TV, ra-
dio, e-chaupal. LIC uses puppets to educate rural masses about its insurance
policies. Govt of India uses puppetry in its campaigns to press ahead social
Kadak Chap Tea in Etawah district. In between such a show, the lights are
switched o
and a torch is
ashed in the dark(EVEREADYs tact). ITC's
e-chaupal (chaupal is the common place where villagers gather) has been the
1.2 million in
ve states { Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
article reviews some of the key issues. Indian agricultural industry has been
growing at a tremendous pace in the last few decades. The rural areas are
nant role in developing the Indian economy. This has designed a new way for
the process of identifying and satisfying customers needs and providing them
marketing di
ers from agricultural or consumer products marketing in terms
would also be di
erent they include input manufacturers, dealers, farmers,
to the rural markets has viewed the markets as a homogeneous one, but in
These di
erences could be in terms of the type of farmers, type of crops and
inputs used for production process have implications for food, health and
with a concern for the society, besides being titled towards pro
t. Rural
market for agricultural inputs is a case of market pull and not market push.
Most of the jobs of marketing and selling is left to the local dealers and re-
tailers. The market for input gets interlocked with other markets like output,
consumer goods, money and labour. The importance of rural marketing can
be understood from the fact that today modern inputs i.e. diesel, electric-
areas. Further the percentages were higher at 81of land. Strategic aspects
Rural marketing in India is not much developed there are many hindrances
manner not only to survive and grow in their business, but also a means to
the development of the rural economy. One has to have a strategic view of
the rural markets so as to know and understand the markets well. In the
and more important farmer economics, thus any strategy in rural marketing
usage, all elements of marketing mix can be better organised and managed.
TRIBUTING
channel could be a Big scale Super markets, they thought that a similar
system can be grown in India. However, they were wrong, soon they realized
that to succeed in India they have to reach the nook and the corner of
the country. They have to reach the "local Paan wala, Local Baniya" only
they can succeed. MNC shoe giants, Adidas, Reebok, Nike started with
exclusive stores but soon they realized that they do not enjoy much Brand
Equity in India, and to capture the market share in India they have to go the
local market shoe sellers. They have to reach to local cities with low priced
products.
DIAN CELEBRITIES
priced at Rs. 5000. This pen is signed by Mr. Makbul Fida Hussain a
Reebok, so that they can associate their name with players like him and get
popularity.
2.16 MELAS
Melas are places where villagers gather once in a while for shopping. Com-
panies take advantage of such events to market their products. Dabur uses
estimates that around half of items sold in these melas are FMCG products
12and consumer durables. Escorts also displays its products like tractors and
2.17 PAINTINGS
A picture is worth thousand words. The message is simple and clean. Rural
people like the sight of bright colours. COKE, PEPSI and TATA traders
This case study is about a product and service named Akashganga sold by a
dustry is plagued by several problems, the major ones being low productivity
of Indian cows, the delays in processing milk, low quality caused by manual
collection point, it's weighed and the amount of fat measured and imme-
diately an entry is made on the farmer's swipe card. The money can be
the
nancial calculation was done later to avoid holding up the queue of
farmers ready for milking; the calculation was done by hand and was some-
which makes it possible to pay the farmer on the spot rather than having
him wait for a couple of days. Also the potential for cheating is reduced. An
When SKEPL wanted to market this service, it ran up against the skepticism
of the Indian rural people against unproven technology. This is the classic
catch-22 situation as the farmer does not trust the tool till he tries it, and is
reluctant to try it till he trusts it. SKEPL got around this problem by o
er-
13ing free trials and delayed payment schemes stretching up to several months.
established a service network covering the rural areas, and typically would
It's important to note that the company's local presence whether for mar-
keting, sales or service helped tremendously, since the villagers would not be
The company also used a name Akashganga that Indian villagers can relate
Also, Shree Kamadhenu Electronics used local people for marketing, sales,
service, etc. This was a very important factor that helped the farmers relate
Of course, the company had a solution that was superior in terms of time,
transparency, fairness, etc, and that played a big role in their success.
ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market capi-
diversi
ed presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty Papers,
parel, Greeting Cards and other FMCG products. Its International Business
and vertical expansion. In 1998, after competition forced ITC to explore the
options of sale, merger, and closure of IBD, ITC ultimately decided to retain
the business. The ITC-IBD taken the challenges to use information technol-
ogy to change the rules of the game and create a competitive business that
did not need a large asset base. Today, IBD is a US $150 million company
ITC followed a di
erent media/communication strategy which is more elabo-
and the organization. The strategy is use the Information Technology and
bridge the information and service gap in rural INDIA which gives an edge to
market its products like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides and other products
like consumer goods. With this strategy it can also enhance its competetive-
A pure trading model does not require much capital investment. The e-
ments to create and maintain its own IT network in rural India and to identify
Internet access in rural farming villages; the e-Choupals serve as both a social
farmers house, is linked to the Internet via phone lines or, increasingly, by
US $3,000 and US $6,000 to set up and about US $100 per year to main-
15tain. Using the system costs farmers nothing, but the host farmer, called a
and a commission paid him for all e-Choupal transactions. The farmers can
about new farming techniqueseither directly or, because many farmers are
illiterate, via the sanchalak (the village farmer who runs the e-Choupal and
acts as ITCs representative in the village). In addition they can also know
about weather forecast(local) and best practices in the world from e-Choupal
website. They also use the e-Choupal to order seed, fertilizer, and other
products such as consumer good from ITC or its partners, at prices lower
than those available from village traders; the sanchalak typically aggregates
the village demand for these products and transmits the order to an ITC
any farmer at the previous days closing price; the farmer then transports his
crop to an ITC processing center, where the crop is weighed electronically and
assessed for quality. The farmer is then paid for the crop and a transport fee.
Launched in June 2000, 'e-Choupal', has already become the largest ini-
services today reach out to more than 3.5 million farmers growing a range of
crops - soyabean, co
ee, wheat, rice, pulses, shrimp - in over 31,000 villages
through 5200 kiosks across six states (Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra
modities trading. Through its tobacco business, ITC has worked in Indian
translation of the tactical and strategic challenges it faced and its social
Present Mandi system have some success factors in it. ITC decided to
this principle ITC can avoid the reinventing the system in areas where
are there.
and also the only marketing channel. As a result, the trader enjoys two
competitive bene
ts. First, his intimate knowledge of the farmer and
village dynamics allow him to accurately assess and manage risk. Sec-
linked transactions reduce the farmers overall cost in the short term,
Rural development e
orts thus far have focused only on individual
have tried to provide agricultural inputs, rural banks have tried to pro-
vide credit, and mandis have tried to create a better marketing channel.
These e
orts cannot compete against the traders bundled o
er. Func-
community needs.
An IT-Driven Solution
allowing the farmer an empowered choice of where and when to sell his
crop.
business models.
rent extraction.
e
cient management.
(1). Adopt the ability to determine the grades of the crop(grains) in the
eld which commands the price premium for the crop.
e.g: Wheat
(2). Build the concept of traceability into the supply chain which will allow
e.g: For perishables such as shrimps, which decays quickly with in short
quality.
(3). Provide the service as market-place for commodities where ITC is not
e.g: co
ee grains.
(4). Marketing value added products and services to rural INDIA , in ad-
4.6 Conclusion
in rural markets sofar. Critical factors in the apparent success of the ven-
transparency, and the respect and fairness with which both farmers and local