The Hindu Business Line : Quality counts for the rural consumer

“The farmer’s primary criterion for purchase is not whether the product is niptau (just fits the bill) but whether it is tikau (solid). That he is willing to invest in costlier hybrid seeds, branded herbicides and plant growth regulators, as long as they guarantee higher yields, is proof of this,” says Mr Paras Chaturvedi, Regional Manager (Central Uttar Pradesh), Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar (HKB).

But the rural consumer, unlike the city-folk, does not buy on impulse. “When the farmer comes to our stores, he has a clear plan of what to buy and how much to spend. He definitely understands the value of money,” points out Mr Chaturvedi.

For example, there are farmers who travel 20 km or more to buy diesel from an HKB centre. “They know that when their 210-litre drum is filled, they will get the entire 210 litres of diesel without any admixture of kerosene. The same people, on their return trip, take groceries and other products from our stores”, he adds.

Interestingly, some of the most fast-moving items in the Hariyali outlets include various dals (pulses), katchi ghani (expeller) mustard oil and even sugar. One reason for this is that farming, by itself, has become a specialised affair, with potato or sugarcane growers not necessarily cultivating oilseeds and pulses.

“The arhar (pigeon-pea) and rajma (kidney-bean) they sell are not cheap. But they have more uniform grain and no stones, unlike the dal from our local shop,” notes Mr Birender Kumar, a 21-acre farmer from Milak, 30 km from here.

Home appliances

The Hariyali outlets have sought to entice farmers through special deals on home appliances. One such offer – a 21-inch ‘Videocon’ colour TV and 180-litre refrigerator, along with a ‘Usha Lexus’ mixer-grinder and an ‘Astra’ steam iron – is available for Rs 14,990, as against their combined maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 19,074.

Similarly, a ‘Kansai’ DVD player-cum-home theatre can be had for Rs 2,380, against an MRP of Rs 4,480. Then, there are ‘buy one, get one free’ offers on an assortment of namkeens, soft drinks and kitchen ware, besides discounts on jeans, T-shirts and trousers.

While quality certainly matters, the rural consumer also has a straightforward, no-frills approach in some cases. To illustrate, “Garnier” shampoo has not clicked much, since it is perceived to be “too soft” and does not produce enough jhaag (lather). Likewise, the farmer is fairly content using “VI-John” shaving cream, which sells at half the price of “Dettol”.

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