Rural Marketing: Targeting The Non-urban Consumer

For the last 10 consecutive years, we have had good monsoons. So, agriculture is prospering. Of course, there have been setbacks in the last couple of years.

Another interesting aspect is, today rural India is not 100 per cent dependent on an agrarian economy. Unlike in the past where the ratio between those who involved in agriculture and in other business was 75-25, today the estimated ratio is 50:50, if not 60:40.

So today, 50-60 per cent of the rural population is involved in other businesses. A lot of people belonging to the second generation are getting white-collar jobs in nearby towns. So, there is a growing middle class with a monthly income in rural India and it is a drastic change from the past where their income was totally dependent on the monsoon, cropping season, etc.

This has resulted in a definite growth in the prosperity level in rural India. Of course, there are still a lot of poor people, especially the agricultural labourers. But there is a growing middle class with regular income and the rural rich are becoming richer.