{"id":1311,"date":"2009-02-03T12:31:04","date_gmt":"2009-02-03T12:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thirdeyesight.in\/?p=1311"},"modified":"2022-11-03T09:09:02","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T09:09:02","slug":"against-the-grain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myechoproject.com\/TES\/against-the-grain\/","title":{"rendered":"Against the grain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p> <i>By Sangita Ghosh<br>\n\n            Progressive Grocer <br>\n\n            February 2009<\/i><\/p>\n\n    <p><strong>Transformation in the most popular staple food in\n            India is slow, but definitely on<\/strong><\/p>\n\n    <p>Rice, which has long held the reputation of being the food\n        of the masses, is witnessing a silent transformation in India.\n        Things have come a long way from the \u201ctouch and feel\u201d\n        approach to purchasing rice by the weight to the modern era\n        in which the busy urban Indian consumer is beginning to place\n        his or her trust in branded and packaged rice.<\/p>\n\n    <p>This shift, though spearheaded by the premium varieties of\n        rice, is gradually spreading to other varieties as well, the\n        USP being ease of purchases and quality assurance. This trend\n        is also fueling the emergence of other processed, semi-processed\n        and semi-cooked varieties of the grain.<\/p>\n\n    <p>The harvesting area of rice in India is the largest in the\n        world, with the staple being cultivated in all states of the\n        country. According to a recent research by International Rice\n        Research Institute (IRRI), Manila, the rice production and\n        consumption pattern in the major rice producing and consuming\n        counties are set to change drastically. By 2015, the global\n        rice-eating population is projected to consume over 50 million\n        tones more than it did in 2005. Significant increases are\n        expected in South and South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.\n        According to IRRL, rice consumption in South Asia is expected\n        to rise by 14.89 million tonnes by 2015. Of this, over eight\n        million tonnes will be in Bangladesh and over a million tonnes\n        in Pakistan. Rice consumption in India is set to soar to 92\n        million tonnes in 2015.<\/p>\n\n    <p>More than 65 percent of the Indian population views rice\n        as their staple food. The packaged foods incarnation of rice\n        has invaded the Indian consumer\u2019s kitchens in the form\n        of bags, packets and cartons; now, rice can also be purchased\n        in cooked, uncooked, packed, dehydrated and frozen forms.\n        To meet these many special requirements of packaged foods,\n        rice undergoes varying degrees of processing, resulting in\n        variants such as regular-milled, parboiled, precooked brown\n        and many others.<\/p>\n\n    <p>Although the majority of the varieties are still sold under\n        the traditional retailing system, sales through modern trade\n        are increasing rapidly. \u2018Accessibility\u2019 is where\n        the presence and growth of modern retail has helped the branded\n        rice segment.<\/p>\n\n    <p>Says Puneet Mahajan, vice president, Marketing &amp; Advertising,\n        Kohinoor foods, \u201cBecause of higher margins on loose\n        rice, earlier, selling a branded pack was greatly driven by\n        the inclination of the traditional shopkeeper, but with the\n        presence of modern retail, a consumer has greater choice.\n        Modern retail is definitely working as a catalyst for growth\n        of the branded packaged rice in India.\u201d <\/p>\n\n    <p>According to Technopak Advisors, about Rs. 10,000 crores\n        (Rs. 100 billion) worth of branded rice is sold annually,\n        which is miniscule really, considering that the total rice\n        market in India is reckoned to be worth around Rs. 100,000\n        crore (Rs. 1,000 billion). Also, only 10 percent of the rice\n        exported from India (around Rs. 3,500 crore to Rs. 4,000 crore)\n        is branded. But, branded rice sales have taken off in recent\n        years and have been growing at around 15 percent in the domestic\n        market compared to five percent for unbranded rice.<\/p>\n\n    <p>The rice retail mechanism comprises branded, packed and loose\n        and \u2018open\u2019 selling of the product. Until recently,\n        branding was a feature only in the premium segment, with primarily\n        the Basmati rice variant being sold packed. Today, there is\n        growing evidence of branding in regular consumable varieties\n        of rice along with the premium variants. As in all other food\n        segments, India&#8217;s growing middle class has buoyed domestic\n        demand. Additionally, rapid evolvement of modern food retail\n        formats has also propelled the packaged food market, facilitating\n        the availability, visibility and accessibility of branded\n        products.<\/p>\n\n    <p>&#8220;It is the urban affluent and the upper middle class\n        who are gradually warming to the concept of buying branded\n        rice as of now,&#8221; opines San\u00acjay Sethi, VP, Food and\n        Agriculture at Technopak Advisors.<\/p>\n\n    <p>Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of Third Eyesight believes\n        that from the consumer&#8217;s point of view, the two big drivers\n        for branded packaged rice are convenience and quality, though\n        the shift towards branding is still happening, &#8220;since\n        Indian consumers still prefer to see and hold loose grains\n        before they decide to buy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n    <p>&#8220;Rice brands were always around. But the market has\n        witnessed a rapid increase of the branded rice sale in India\n        recently because of modern retailing and rising brand consciousness\n        of the Indian consumers. In an)&#8217; product category, it is a\n        brand that can penetrate the market more than anything else.\n        Rice is no exception,&#8221; says Dhiresh Kukreti, AGM, marketing,\n        Daawat, one of the major players in the branded Basmati rice\n        market.<\/p>\n\n    <p>According to Sudha Pawa, promoter of Jagat Agro, the scope\n        for branded rice is huge in India because a major percentage\n        of the product is still sold in loose form. &#8220;Rising awareness\n        and the changing house-hold dynamics of consumers in recent\n        times have led them to be apprised of the benefits of packaged\n        rice. And modern trade helps in reducing the retail price,\n        which should give a boost to the packaged rice market,&#8221;\n        he comments.<\/p>\n\n    <p>As viewed by Rajnish Ohri, director, Tilda Riceland Pvt.\n        Ltd., the advent of modern trade and the hospitality business\n        are opening new avenues for branded rice in India. &#8220;There\n        has been a rapid shift from non-branded loose rice to branded\n        packaged rice; the major catalyst in this transition has been\n        modern trade. However, this could also be attributed to inorganic\n        growth triggered off by retail expansion from 2004 to 2007.&#8221;\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p>Therefore, the main consuming sectors of branded rice could\n        be the middle and upper-middle income consumers, though Basmati\n        is still a niche sub-category in India. &#8220;It is not just\n        the allure of higher quality or hygiene; the small, convenient\n        and attractive pack sizes also encourage consumers to make\n        the shift,&#8221; says Arvinder Pal Singh, MD, Lal Qilla rice.<\/p>\n\n   <div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-sm-6\"> <p>&#8220;At HyperCity, we retail all major brands &#8211; Kohinoor,\n        Daawat and India Gate, among others. I would say that modern\n        trade on an average contributes 40 to 50 percent of total\n        packaged rice sales in India,\u201d says Ashutosh Chakradeo,\n        head, food &amp; grocery, Hypercity Retail (India) Ltd.<\/p>\n\n    <p>There is plenty of room to boost branded rice consumption,\n        and innovative marketing can help in pushing the envelope,\n        says Viney Singh, MD of max Hypermarkets. \u201cPackaged\n        rice consumption can be enhanced by competitive pricing compared\n        to the open market and communicating the consistent quality,\n        value additions of the former with effective marketing strategies\n        and regular promotional activities.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"col-sm-6\"><div class=\"table-responsive\">\n            <center>\n                <table class=\"table-striped table-bordered align-middle custom-tabl\">\n                    <tbody><tr align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td colspan=\"2\"><b> <em><strong>Rice\n                                        Production on the rise<\/strong><\/em><\/b><\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td> Year<\/td>\n                        <td> Production of Rice (Million Tonnes)<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td> 2002 &#8211; 03<\/td>\n                        <td> 71.82<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td> 2003 &#8211; 04<\/td>\n                        <td> 88.53<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td> 2004 &#8211; 05<\/td>\n                        <td> 83.13<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td> 2005 &#8211; 06<\/td>\n                        <td> 91.79<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td> 2006 &#8211; 07<\/td>\n                        <td> 92.76<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td colspan=\"2\"> Source: Ministry of Agriculture<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                <\/tbody><\/table>\n            <\/center>\n        <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n    <p>According to Spencer&#8217;s Retail, in India 98 percent of the\n        total rice trade is in the non-Basmati segment. There are\n        huge governmental controls in terms of paddy and rice prices\n        from time to time and until now there has been no effective\n        control by major brands over the larger market. &#8220;The\n        trade is mainly dominated by millers who are trying to build\n        popular regional brands, leading to a trend that sees branded\n        packaged rice operating in some niche segments, as of now,&#8221;\n        says Samar Singh Sheikhawat, vice president &#8211; marketing, Spencer&#8217;s\n        Retail Ltd<\/p>\n\n    <p> <strong>Organised milling and processed rice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n    <p> In India, rice is primarily consumed in the form of polished,\n        par boiled, parched and flaked rice while the demand for branded\n        rice \u2013 particularly Basmati \u2013 is increasing both\n        in domestic, as well as in export markets. Therefore, the\n        market for processed rice has expanded, which has also led\n        to the growth of organized milling. According to a recent\n        study by Rabobank, in 2003, rice mills in organized sector\n        had a growth rate of three percent in terms of volume and\n        value of milled rice. As per the research this growth rate\n        would be doubled to six percent in the period of 2005 \u2013\n        2010 \u2013 2015, both in terms of volume and value.<\/p>\n\n    <p><strong>Packed to perfection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n    <p> There are few staples that are found in such a wide range\n        of packaged formats and so extensively in so many combinations\n        as rice. In packaged forms of various brands, rice is processed\n        in varying degrees and forms including the regular-milled,\n        parboiled, precooked, quick or instant rice in various forms\n        of broken rice, brown rice, glutinous-rice, instant rice,\n        frozen rice, organic rice, paddy rice or rough rice, parboiled\n        rice, red rice, white rice or milled rice. Although the most\n        premium and ubiquitous packaged rice is the Indian Basmati,\n        growing awareness and innovation are now driving a &#8216;certain\n        set of consumers to try processed rice variants such as brown\n        rice and organic rice.<\/p>\n\n    <p>According to Ohri from Tilda Riceland, the share of brown\n        and organic rice in total category sales may be insignificant\n        as of now but the industry is expecting to see a new line\n        of informed consumers coming in. Singh at Lal Qilla is also\n        hopeful about future prospects, saying, &#8220;The market for\n        processed rice is growing, especially in the western countries\n        and metropolitan cities of India. Therefore, we have already\n        introduced brown Basmati and now working on the concept of\n        organic Basmati.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n    <p>Viney Singh at Max Hypermarkets believes that organic and\n        brown rice sales have already been able to carve a niche for\n        themselves in the overall category. Technopak&#8217;s .Sethi confirms\n        that brown rice is the cur\u00acrent talking point. &#8220;Organic\n        rice is here to stay, as their health benefits are being endorsed\n        more seriously. However, it is pesticide-free rice that that\n        has the potential of being scaled up much more as a concept.\n        Organic rice, though definitely healthier, still belongs to\n        a niche market. Besides, pesticide-free rice appeals to a\n        mass market, and not a niche market.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n    <p>Brown Rice: The whole kernel remains intact and is still\n        surrounded by all layers of bran. After the husk is removed\n        the remaining product is called brown rice. This is what lends\n        brown rice its quality of being more nutritious than the conventional\n        white rice.<\/p>\n\n    <p>Red Rice: Is made by parboiling the paddy before husking,\n        leaving a part of the bran on the grain giving it a red colour.\n        It is consumed in select parts of India, especially in Kerala\n        and Goa.<\/p>\n\n    <p>Organic Rice: For rice to be certified &#8216;organic&#8217;, the field\n        used must have gone for three years without use of pesticides,\n        fertilizers, or any chemicals and the crop must be grown,\n        harvested, stored and milled under organic conditions.<\/p>\n    <p><strong>Power of the brand<\/strong><\/p>\n    <p> The wide range of packaged rice brands is dominated by the\n        Basmati rice but includes many other processed rice variants\n        as well. Here&#8217;s what India&#8217;s major rice manufacturers and\n        marketers are offering at retail:<\/p>\n    <p>Kohinoor Foods Ltd.<br>\n        Satnam Overseas&#8217; Kohinoor Foods Ltd. offers a wide range of\n        packet brands of Basmati, non-Basmati, instant and ready-to-eat\n        rice products. The brands are found in almost all the major\n        retail and wholesale chains including Metro Cash n Carry,\n        Reliance Fresh, Food Bazaar, Spencer&#8217;s, Vishal, Subhiksha,\n        HyperCity, More and Nilgiri&#8217;s.<\/p>\n    <p>The most coveted Basmati rice variants are Kohinoor Supreme,\n        Kohinoor Brown &amp; Kohinoor Organic. Kohinoor Supreme is\n        the pure traditional Basmati rice present in the organised\n        trade for two years. Kohinoor Brown is the healthier choice\n        for Basmati rice. It is an un-milled rice, a kind of a whole\n        grain and carries a mild nutty flavour. Kohinoor Organic is\n        a natural Basmati rice grown under an organic farming pattern.\n        It comes with IMO and Indian Organic certifications.<\/p>\n    <p>The company&#8217;s other famous brands are Trophy Gold, Trophy\n        Royale, Charminar, 365, Nawab and Falcon. Trophy Gold is pure\n        quality superior Basmati rice, while Trophy Royale is an extra-long\n        Basmati grain variant. Charminar and Kohinoor 365 are two\n        other sub-brands under the Basmati category, while Falcon\n        is non-Basmati pulav rice with a long grain, and Nawab is\n        also a non-Basmati long grain aromatic rice.<\/p>\n    <p><br>\n        L T Overseas Ltd (Daawat)<br>\n        LT Overseas Ltd. is one of the country&#8217;s leading processors\n        and exporters of packaged rice foods under the flagship brand\n        &#8220;Daawat&#8221;. The brand is among the top players in\n        the domestic branded Basmati Rice market in the Super Premium,\n        Premium and Economy categories. As per market estimates, Daawat\n        occupies a market share of about 25-30 percent. Under the\n        Daawat brand, the company offers Daawat Select, an authentic\n        Basmati rice and according to the company, its most prestigious\n        product. It is retailed in 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg and 20\n        kg packs.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat premium Basmati rice is a traditional pearly white\n        and deliciously aromatic special quality Basmati rice. Available\n        in 5 kg, 10 and 20 kg jute bags. Tyvek paper packs and poly\n        pouches, it is also offered in 500 gm, 1kg and 5 kg poly pouches,\n        2kg and 5 kg pet jars and a 5 kg festival pack.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat popular Basmati rice is a high-quality, yet economical\n        variety of Basmati rice. The packs are available in 5kg, 10\n        kg and 20 kg jute bags , 1 kg and 5 kg poly pouches and 5\n        kg pet jars.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat Gold Basmati Rice is a royal long grain Basmati rice\n        available in 1 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg packs, while Daawat Super,\n        another fine Basmati rice, is offered in \u00bd kg, 1 kg,\n        5 kg, 10 kg, 20 kg and 25 kg packs.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat Rozana is an everyday super-economical Basmati rice\n        available in 1 k, 5 kg, 10kg and 25 kg packs.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat Devaaya Basmati Rice is polished, graded with a distinctive\n        pearly texture and has been one of the most popular brands\n        with the masses for its affordability. It is available in\n        1kg, 5 kg and 20 kg packs, Heritage Basmati rice is yet another\n        quality Basmati rice with slender white grains available in\n        5kg, 10kg and 20 kg jute bags and kg and 5 kg poly pouches.<\/p>\n    <p>Daawat Chef\u2019s secretz Basmati Rice, one of the most\n        powerful brands among the institutional customers, is available\n        in almost all modern and traditional retail stores. It is\n        available in 1\/2kg and 1 kg packs.<\/p>\n    <p>Elte long grain rice is a non-Basmati polished rice variety,\n        but a long grain rice like Heritage. Available in 5 kg, 10\n        kg and 20 kg jute bags and 1 kg and 5 kg poly pouches.<\/p>\n    \n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n            <center>\n                <table class=\"table-striped table-bordered align-middle custom-tabl\">\n                    <tbody><tr align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td width=\"765\" colspan=\"11\" valign=\"top\" class=\"normaltxt\"><b>\n                                <em><strong>Current sales and future potential for rice\n                                        mills in the organized sector, 2003 &#8211; 2015<\/strong><\/em><\/b><\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td> Rice milling &#8211; modern rice mills<\/td>\n                        <td> 2003 volume (m tonnes)<\/td>\n                        <td> Average price(US$ \/tonne)<\/td>\n                        <td> 2003 value (US$m)<\/td>\n                        <td> 2003 growth rate<\/td>\n                        <td> 2010 volume (m tonnes) (projected)<\/td>\n                        <td> 2010 value (US$m) (projected)<\/td>\n                        <td> 2015 volume (m tonnes) (projected)<\/td>\n                        <td> 2015 value (US$ m) (projected)<\/td>\n                        <td> Growth rate 2005 &#8211; 10 (projected)<\/td>\n                        <td> Growth rate 2010 &#8211; 15 (projected)<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                        <td>&nbsp; <\/td>\n                        <td> 20<\/td>\n                        <td> 350<\/td>\n                        <td> 7000<\/td>\n                        <td> 3%<\/td>\n                        <td> 30.07<\/td>\n                        <td> 10,525.40<\/td>\n                        <td> 40.24<\/td>\n                        <td> 14,085.38<\/td>\n                        <td> 6%<\/td>\n                        <td> 6%<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                    <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                        <td colspan=\"11\"> Source: Rabobank<\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                <\/tbody><\/table>\n            <\/center>\n        <\/div>\n        \n        <p>KRBL Ltd. (India Gate)<br>\n            KRBL Ltd.&#8217;s rice variants are retailed under the &#8216;India Gate&#8217;\n            brand. Besides leading the domestic market in India, KRBL is\n            also one of the largest Basmati rice exporters and suppliers\n            to the Middle-east, Europe, USA, Canada and Africa.<\/p>\n        <p>Besides India Gate, the company&#8217;s flagship brand, KRBL also\n            offers other rice brands such as Doon, Nurjahan, Aarthi, Royal,\n            Zafrani, Sonale, Sostha, Train, Rice King, Joy, Football,\n            Taj Mahal, Indian Farm, Sun Flower, Lion, Unity, People&#8217;s\n            Princess, Sarina, Queen of Hearts and Bemisal. The company\n            is now planning to promote the brand \u201cMade in India&#8221;\n            in domestic as well as overseas markets. The brands are found\n            in 1 kg, 5 kg and 20 kg consumer packs on the retail shelves.<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Lal Qilla<br>\n            Lal Qilla Basmati rice, a renowned and traditional packet\n            rice brand in India, claims about 28 percent share in the\n            total sales of branded, packaged rice in India.<\/p>\n        <p>Lal Qilla Basmati rice is the flagship brand and is a pure,\n            traditional Basmati retailed in 1 kg poly packs at Rs 130,\n            2 kg at Rs 255, 5 kg at Rs 640 and 20 kg poly packs at Rs\n            2,600.<\/p>\n        <p>Other brands are Golden Qilla, a premium quality traditional\n            Basmati, and Qilla Excel &#8211; a Pusa 1121 Basmati. This product\n            is available in 1 kg poly pack at Rs 125 and 5 kg at Rs 650.<\/p>\n        <p>Qilla and President are the Dehraduni Pusa Basmati rice variants.\n            The products are sold at Rs 85, Rs 170, Rs 425 and Rs 1,600\n            packed in 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg poly packs, and 20 kg jute bags,\n            respectively.<\/p>\n        <p>Shahjahan is a super quality Basmati available at Rs 95,\n            Rs 190, Rs 465 and Rs 1,800 in 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg poly packs,\n            and 20 kg fabric bags, respectively.<\/p>\n        <p>Golden Chhap Aged Basamati is the second-range aged traditional\n            Basmati retailed in 1 kg and 5 kg poly packs at Rs 90 and\n            Rs 470 respectively and in 20 kg jute bags for Rs 1,700, while\n            Golden Chhap Daily Meal Basmati Rice is the third-range aged\n            traditional Basmati rice. The products are available in 1\n            kg and 5 kg poly packs priced at Rs 80 and Rs 400 respectively,\n            and in 20 kg jute bags at Rs 1,500.<\/p>\n        <p>Lal Qilla also offers No 517 Long grain Rice, a long grain\n            non-Basmati Parmal rice variant priced at Rs 700, for 25-kg\n            in a jute bag, and 507 Biryani Rice &#8211; a rice variant also\n            known as Sharbati. It is available in 1 kg poly packs and\n            25 kg jute bags priced at Rs 55 and Rs 1,150 respectively.<\/p>\n        <p>Apart form these, the Lal Qilla portfolio also includes Dobar,\n            Tibar and Mungra rice qualities under the brand &#8216;Golden&#8217;.<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Shri Lalmahal<br>\n            Shri Lalmahal provides a wide range of fine Basmati and non-Basmati\n            rice. The main brands are Shri LalMahal (the flagship label),\n            Pargol, Heena, Shanker Bhog .and Mughlai. Shri LalMahal is\n            premium quality Basmati rice sold in consumer packs of 1 kg,\n            2 kgs, 5 kgs, 10 kgs, 20 kgs and 30 kgs.<\/p>\n        <p>The company also has varieties of Organic Basmati, Brown\n            Basrnati, Dehradooni Basmati, Supreme Quality Basmati and\n            Parboiled Basmati.<\/p>\n        <p>The company&#8217;s non-Basmati rice includes varieties such as\n            Indian Long Grain, Medium Grain, Short Grain in raw, White\n            and Parboiled types, broken Long Grain Parboiled, broken Long\n            Grain Silky, Medium Grain and Round or Short Grain rice.<\/p>\n        <p>Shrilalmahal Group has won the APEDA (Agriculture and Processed\n            Food Export Development Authority) award for the last nine\n            years consecutively.<\/p>\n        <p>Tilda Riceland<br>\n            Tilda Rice comes from the Tilda Riceland Limited. Tilda is\n            currently retailed in all metros and major towns at chain\n            stores including Big Bazaar, Spencer&#8217;s, HyperCity, Sabka Bazaar,\n            Reliance Fresh and More. The types are found in Basmati, Long\n            Grain and Regional rice portfolio. There are eight sub-brands\n            that Tilda currently offers, including Tilda Pure Basmati,\n            a traditional Basmati priced at Rs 165 per kg; Tilda Resham,\n            an\u00acother pure variants of Basmati priced at Rs 150 per\n            kg; Tilda Wandaful Pusa Basmati, whose rice grains are Pusa\n            variety of the milled Basmati rice and are perfect for Biryanis\n            and Pulaos, available at Rs 140 per kg; Tilda Chamak Chhota\n            Basmati, a Basmati that lends an ideal texture to creamy milk\n            puddings, desserts and sweet dishes and is sold at Rs 55 per\n            kg; and Tilda Brown Basmati, the popular, brown Basmati priced\n            at Rs 150 per kg.<\/p>\n        <p>In the Long Grain category, the company offers Tilda Khush\n            &#8211; long grain rice with very elongated and slender grains,\n            an extremely pure non-Basmati variety and priced at Rs 90\n            per kg; and Tilda Parmal, also a long grain, flavoured non-Basmati\n            milled Parimal variety available at Rs 55 per kg.<\/p>\n        <p>Tilda also offers a unique, regional variant called Tilda\n            Sona Masoori, which is a non- Basmati Sona Masoori variety\n            popular in South India and a staple diet for the region. This\n            is the perfect rice for making tamarind &amp; tomato rice\n            for the south India pockets and is economically priced at\n            Rs. 32 per kg.<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Jagat Agro (Jagat)<br>\n            The &#8216;Jagat&#8217; brand was launched in 1992 by Jagat Agro Commodities\n            Pvt. Ltd. Besides being one of the major Basmati rice manufacturers\n            in India, Jagat is now planning to enter the exports market.<br>\n            The manufacturer retails premium Basmati under the flagship\n            Grand &#8216;Jagat&#8217; and offers a wide range of raw Basmati and parboiled\n            rice. In non-Basmati, Jagat Pearl Rice is retailed in the\n            packaged form. The Jagat brand can be found on the shelves\n            at Reliance Fresh,&#8221;Big Bazaar. More, Rice World, and\n            Rice Haat (the exclusive company showrooms).<br>\n            Under Basmati, the company has Jagat Royal, a traditional\n            pure Basmati which is found in 1 kg pack priced at Rs 120\n            and a 5 kg pack priced at Rs 600. Jagat Malai Basmati Rice\n            is a blend of traditional Basmati 370 and 386 and is sourced\n            entirely from Punjab priced at Rs 120 for 1 kg and Rs 600\n            for 5-kg packs.<br>\n            Jagat Khusbbu Basmati Rice is a blend of Taraori Basmati and\n            Basmati 1 and hails from Haryana. The product is sold in 1\n            kg packer priced at Rs 105 and 5 kg packet at Rs 525.<br>\n            Jagat Manpasand Basmati Rice is a blend of Bas mati 1, Taraori\n            Basmati and Desi Basmati in an affordable price range and\n            priced at Rs 90 for 1 kg and Rs 450 for 5 kg of packs.<br>\n            Jagat Sadabahar is a Dehradun variant and a blend of Basmati\n            1 and Desi Basmati; it is priced at Rs 85 for 1 kg and Rs\n            425 for 5 kg of packs.<br>\n            Jagat Everyday Basmati Rice is the economy variant. It consists\n            of 40 percent full grain and 60 percent broken Basmati rice.\n            Super Everyday is sold at Rs.80 for 1 kg and Rs 400 for 5\n            kg packets and Everyday Basmati at Rs 60 for 1 kg and Rs 300\n            for 5-kg packs.<br>\n            Jagat Special Sella Basmati rice is a blend of Taraori and\n            Basmati 1 rice parboiled at the paddy stage with a processing\n            of steaming and drying, while Jagat Pearl is a non-Basmati\n            Parimal Rice variant blended with less than two per cent broken\n            rice and priced between at Rs 40 for 1 kg and Rs 200 for 5-kg\n            packs.<\/p>\n        <p>REI Agro <br>\n            REI Agro, one of the leading players in the Basmati rice category,\n            offers a wide range of brands such as Kasturi, Real Magic,\n            Mr. Miller, Hungama, Hansraj and AI-Tahaan in the segment.\n            The brands are segre-gated into Premium, Midrange and Economy\n            ranges.<\/p>\n        <p>Premium range labels include Kasauti and Real Magic; Midrange\n            brands are Mr. Miller and Ikon, while the Economy range includes\n            Hansraj and RainDrop.<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Safal Rice<br>\n            The Safal brand from Mother Dairy offers a range of Basmati\n            pack\u00acaged rice that is milled, processed, sorted cleaned\n            and packed.<\/p>\n        <p>Safal Gold Basmati Rice is the finest traditional long grain\n            Indian Basmati rice. Safal Silver Basmati Rice is Indian long\n            grain Basmati Rice, while Safal Premium Parmal Rice is a long\n            grain Indian Parimal rice. (Safal is regarded as one of the\n            first retailers to sell parmal rice in packaged format.)<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Veetee Fine Foods<br>\n            Veetee Fine Foods started operations in 1992. It offers Veetee\n            Gold Organic Basmati, which is grown under an organic farming\n            process and is certified by control union certifications.\n            It is available in 1 kg mono cartons and 20-25 kg paper bags.<\/p>\n        <p>Veetee Gold Brown Basmati Rice is unpolished Basmati rice,\n            containing essential vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre\n            and is available in 1 kg mono cartons and easy-to-use 5 kg\n            jars.<\/p>\n        <p>Veetee Supreme Basmati Rice, the flagship brand of the Veetee\n            range, is an elegant supreme quality Basmati, available in\n            1 kg poly packs and in 5 kg easy-to-use jars and paper bags.<\/p>\n        <p>Picric Select Basmati Rice is avail\u00acable in 1 and 5 kg\n            poly packs, as well as 30 kg jute bags, as is Picric Everyday\n            Rice, the budget brand in non-Basmati varieties, which is\n            available in 1 kg and 5 kg multi layer packaging and in 30\n            kg jute bags.<\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            Priya Foods<br>\n            Priya Foods is a part of Ramoji Group offering some popular\n            varieties of rice in south India.<\/p>\n        <p>Priya offers Sona Masoori rice, the short grain rice that\n            is popular and the staple food in South India, in 5 kg and\n            20 kg packs; and Idli Rice, a superior quality rice primarily\n            used to prepare soft and fluffy idlis, dosas and paniyarams,\n            the popular dishes in South India. It is also used to make\n            traditional Kerala food items such as Puttu, Appam, Idiyappam\n            and Pathiri.<\/p>\n        <p>Also among the smaller, regional brands is Aeroplane, a label\n            from Amir Chand Jagdish Kumar (Exports) Ltd. It offers several\n            variants under numerous sub-brands: Aeroplane Regular Basmati,\n            Aeroplane Super Basmati, Special Dubar Basmati, Aeroplane\n            Priority Basmati, Aeroplane Wah!, Aeroplane La Taste, Aeroplane\n            1121 Basmati, World Cup, Palm Tree and Aeroplane Nazia Raw\n            Rice.<\/p>\n        \n            <center>\n                <div class=\"table-responsive\">\n                    <table class=\"table-striped table-bordered align-middle custom-tabl\">\n                        <tbody><tr align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td colspan=\"3\">\n                                <b><em><strong>India&#8217;s rice bowl<\/strong><\/em><\/b>\n                            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr>\n                            <th> Brand<\/th>\n                            <th> Pack sizes<\/th>\n                            <th> MRP (in Rs)<\/th>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Super Kohinoor Organic rice<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg box<\/td>\n                            <td> 145<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Super Kohinoor Brown rice<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg jute bag<\/td>\n                            <td> 140<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Super Silky Kohinoor<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg pack<\/td>\n                            <td> 140<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Super Kohinoor<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 138, 680<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Trophy Royale<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 111, 545<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Trophy Gold<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 95, 465<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Charminar<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 93, 455<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Aeroplane Raw La-Taste<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 117, 585<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Aeroplane Raw Super Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 111, 555<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> World Cup Raw Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 103, 515<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Palm Tree Raw Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 90. 450<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Lal Qilla<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 2, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 140, 275, 690<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Qilla Excel<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 125, 620<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Golden Chhap Aged Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 105, 520<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> India Gate Classic Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 142, 705<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> India Gate Doon Premium<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 139, 690<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Indian Gate Super Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 124, 615<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Noorjahan Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 94, 465<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Bemisal Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 99, 495<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> India Gate Basmati Tibar<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 102, 505<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> India gate Basmati Dubar<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 81, 400<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> India Gate Mongra<\/td>\n                            <td> 10 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 416<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Tilda Resham<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 140, 700<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Tilda Wandaful<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 130, 650<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Tilda Khush<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 80, 400<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Daawat Brown Rice<\/td>\n                            <td> 20 X 500 gm<\/td>\n                            <td> 48<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Daawat Brown Rice<\/td>\n                            <td> 10 X 1 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 93<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Daawat Select Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 152, 752<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Daawat Gold Biryani<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 136, 672<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Daawat Super Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 40 X 1\/2 kg , 20 X 1 kg, 4 X 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 67, 133, 656<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Daawat Rozana Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 78, 384<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Daawat Rozana 90 Super Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 62, 304<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Daawat Devaaya Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 101, 496<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Heritage Basmati<\/td>\n                            <td> 1 kg X 20, 5kg X 4 = 20 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 109, 536<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"lightgrey\">\n                            <td> Neesa Regular<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 99, 495<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                        <tr bgcolor=\"#FFCC99\">\n                            <td> Indian Star<\/td>\n                            <td> 1, 5 kg<\/td>\n                            <td> 155, 775<\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n                    <\/tbody><\/table>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/center>\n        \n        <p><strong>Ready-to-eat rice<\/strong><\/p>\n        <p> Ready-to-eat rice meals are currently available as self-contained,\n            individual lightweight packs of various rice preparations.\n            There are several bands in India with ready-to-eat rice meals.<br>\n            In the ready-to-eat segment Kohinoor offers a range of rice\n            dishes in traditional tastes, including Steamed Basmati Rice,\n            Madras Lemon Rice Biryani, Chinese Fried Rice, Tomato &amp;\n            Chili Pulao, Brown Basmati Rice, Mushroom Cheese Pulao, Paneer\n            Tikka Biryani, Kashmiri Rajma with Steamed Basmati Rice, Punjabi\n            Kadhi Pakora with Steamed Basmati Rice, Pindi Chana Masala\n            with Zeera Rice, Yellow Dal with Peas Pulao, Mutter Paneer\n            with Steamed Basmati Rice, Dal Palak with Zeera Rice, Paneer\n            Makhani with Steamed Basmati Rice, Mughlai Kofta Curry with\n            Peas Pulao and Madurai Lemon Rice with Sambhar.<\/p>\n        <p> The ITC brand &#8216;Kitchens of India&#8217; also has a range of ready-to-eat\n            rice preparations in a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian\n            forms. These include Noormahal Biryani, Bohri Biryani, Yakhni\n            Pulao, and Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani.<br>\n            Kitchens of India also offer Rajma Masala with Basmati Rice\n            and Yellow Dal Tadka with Basmati Rice meal kits.<br>\n            MTR Foods Limited is one of the top five processed food manufacturers\n            in India and offers a range of ready-to-eat rice-based combo\n            meals. The varieties are Bisibele Bhath, Rajma Chawal, Diet\n            Delite Rasam Rice, Jeera Rice, Sambar Rice, Lemon Rice, Tamarind\n            Rice, Masala Rice and Tomato Rice.<\/p>\n        <p> Ready-to-eat foods from Veetee Foods are popular especially\n            in south India, but also available across India. The products\n            include Brown Bas\u00acmati Rice, a whole grain ready-to-eat\n            brown Basmati in a 250 gm packet; Garlic Herb Brown Basmati\n            Rice, a whole grain Basmati cooked with natural herbs and\n            garlic and marketed in 250 gm pack; and Brown Basmati Biryani,\n            a cooked combination of whole grain brown Basmati and diced\n            vegetables offered in a 250 gm pack.<br>\n            Tilda Riceland is also to shortly enter the ready-to-eat segment.\n        <\/p>\n        <p><br>\n            <strong>Private labels<\/strong><\/p>\n        <p> Given its voluminous consumption, rice is a category whose\n            numbers make sense for food retailers to participate in. Therefore,\n            in recent times, almost all leading grocery chains have rolled\n            out private labels in rice. Some of these are Max Economy,\n            Max premium, More private label, Shoprite private label, Spencer&#8217;s\n            Smart Choice Regular, Spencer&#8217;s Smart Choice Premium Nilgiri&#8217;s,\n            Food Bazaar, Metro, Heritage, V Fresh from Vishal Mega Mart,\n            Reliance Select etc.<br>\n            Spencer&#8217;s, among the more aggressive private label proponents,\n            offers Spencer&#8217;s Trophy, Nature&#8217;s Bounty and Smart Choice.\n            &#8220;We have private labels in both non-Basmati and Bas\u00acmati\n            rice segments, under Nature&#8217;s Bounty and Smart Choice. While\n            almost 100 percent of non-Basmati rice in our, stores is in\n            private labels, it is only 20 percent of Basmati rice that\n            is sold through private labels in our stores,&#8221; says Sheikhawat.<br>\n            Private labels at the Aditya Birla promoted More chain include\n            More and More Select.<br>\n            Spar&#8217;s private labels in rice are &#8216;Spar Select&#8217;, &#8216;Spar Value&#8217;\n            and &#8216;Best Price&#8217;, which offer Basmati rice, boiled rice as\n            well as raw rice varieties. The share of stock is 80:20 for\n            private labels to the brands in Spar.<br>\n            HyperCity sells packaged rice under the in-store label &#8220;Hypercity&#8221;\n            in Basmati, non-Basmati and Brown rice categories.<\/p>\n        <p><strong><br>\n                Strategies to stimulate<\/strong><\/p>\n        <p> According to Sheikhawat at Spencer&#8217;s, all top branded Basmati\n            manufacturers are putting up strong distribution networks\n            and focusing intensely on the domestic market. &#8220;Hence,\n            stock availability even in small quantities is not an issue\n            now. However, we do face challenges in terms of procurement\n            from across the country when it comes to private label Basmati\n            as the source is only North India.&#8221;<\/p>\n        <p>For the brands, price is one of the important indexes for\n            product placement, segmentation and getting initial market\n            presence. Product superiority, brand authority and merchandising\n            dominance are some of the critical pointers for Indian market,\n            say analysts. According to experts, branded manufacturers\n            have so far not communicated their products&#8217; USP&#8217;s over unbranded\n            products (both in the regular as well as the &#8220;value-added&#8221;\n            categories) well, resulting in slow growth of the brand\u00aced\n            market as a whole.<\/p>\n        <p>Says Dutta from Third Eyesight, &#8220;Branding needs sustained\n            and significant marketing support, as well as a clear distinctive\n            positioning, which is more robust in the branded wheat flour\n            market than in rice. From the very beginning rice manufacturers\n            have focused more on export and international consumers, than\n            on the domestic market.&#8221;<\/p>\n        <p>According to him, packaged flour takes two intermediate steps\n            away from the consumer&#8217;s chores by not just providing an assurance\n            of quality of the grain but also the step of grinding it into\n            flour, so the benefit perceived by the consumer is significantly\n            higher than in the case of rice. For rice, premium products\n            such as brown rice and organic rice are still driven by occasional\n            purchases, which need to be augmented by promotions on recipes,\n            benefits and positioning as wholesome meals. &#8220;There is\n            still lackluster demand for brown and organic rice. Though\n            Indians are becoming health conscious, the benefits of these\n            varieties are yet to be communicated,\u201d agrees Pawa at\n            Jagat Agro.<\/p>\n        <p>Technopak&#8217;s Sethi from Technopak opines, &#8220;Brown rice\n            is the latest rage in India, and manufacturers should exploit\n            the &#8216;word of mouth&#8217; publicity. Other rice-based foods and\n            formats &#8211; rice cakes, rice snacks, puffed and flattened rice,\n            instant rice and food service outlets focused on rice &#8211; can\n            also boost the trend.&#8221;<\/p>\n        <p>Some retailers point out that the benefits of brown rice\n            and organic rice also need to be promoted by doctors and health\n            clinics. Some companies are also reportedly planning to come\n            up with Health Management rice, which is basically low GI\n            (Glycemic Index) rice meant for diabetics and weight watchers.\n            &#8220;The next innovation that can revolutionise the segment\n            is the introduction of genetically modified Golden rice, which\n            supplements beta-carotene, a precursor of pro-vitamin A in\n            the edible parts of rice,&#8221; says Sheikhawat.<\/p>\n        <p>&#8220;Retailers can share the responsibility of promoting\n            a new brand or variety by&#8217; making the customers aware of the\n            benefits and through sampling. Regional or local varieties\n            of rice also need promotion; this could boost overall consumption\n            of branded rice,&#8221; says HyperCity&#8217;s Ashutosh Chakradeo.\n            &#8220;However, proper category management is required to introduce\n            and promote different varieties and brands in rice so that\n            the consumer is focused and not overwhelmed or confused by\n            the plethora of brands,&#8221; says Ohri.<\/p>\n        <p>Besides product placement, brand positioning and product\n            innovation, one crucial thing that the brands point to is\n            innovation in pack sizes. According to Singh from Lal Qilla\n            rice, &#8220;Small and handy packets of the rice for daily\n            consumption en\u00accourage consumers to go the branded route.&#8221;<\/p>\n        <p>Clearly, there is also a vast opportunity for private label\n            development in this category. Most private labels are currently\n            positioned at the entry level of any category, thereby providing\n            the retailer more flexibility in pricing, better control over\n            quality and higher margins. &#8220;The<\/p>\n        <p>HyperCity in-store brand is positioned at the mid level and\n            provides consistent quality and value pricing. As a brand\n            it is the highest seller in the staples category and contributes\n            to more than 40 percent of the category sales,&#8221; says\n            Chakradeo.<\/p>\n        <p>While currently private labels are not a great threat to\n            the established brands, things may change over the next couple\n            of years, as Ohri from Tilda Riceland states. According to\n            him, &#8220;Ultimately it is the quality, experience and the\n            brand promise, which will playa crucial role. Whosoever is\n            able to deliver the elements will be able to establish itself\n            as a long term player.&#8221;<\/p>\n        <p>Lal Qilla&#8217;s Singh however, believes that brand positioning\n            for private labels will be difficult and a time consuming\n            process.<\/p>\n        <p>&#8220;Private labeling is like a commodity business, in which\n            no doubt the volumes are big but the room for brand positioning\n            is nil,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n        <p>Jagat Agro&#8217;s Pawa says that while as of now private labels\n            are only sold in the retailer&#8217;s stores and brands benefit\n            from a wider distribution net\u00acwork, in an evolving scenario\n            brand positioning has to be strengthened to be a sustainable\n            player.<\/p>\n        <p>Commenting on the challenges, Singh from Max Hypermarkets\n            comments that a fair amount of in-vestment and time is needed\n            to build a brand with regard to spending on advertising, promotional\n            activities and space allocation. &#8220;Brand placement is\n            quite crucial, as a retailer has to be very clear where he\n            has to position and pitch against the manufacturer\u2019s\n            brand. The brand placement, pricing and quality carry significant\n            weight age,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n        <p>On positioning, Sheikhawat says, \u201cWe are thinking of\n            various routes to position rice, based on regional requirements\n            and use. The challenge really has been to get the best quality\n            at the optimum price because even brand loyalty has been shifting\n            from high priced brands due to affordability factor.\u201d<\/p>\n        <p>Regardless of which brands or labels make it to the top draw,\n            there is little doubt that branding will propel branded rice\n            consumption in India. \u201cFamily packs \u2013 created\n            around eating habits of different regions \u2013 will have\n            to be promoted aggressively. Focus on segmental offering of\n            products like for regular use, specific or occasional use\n            should be taken care of. There is a huge promise from health-conscious\n            consumers which can further drive consumption towards packaged\n            rice,\u201d Sheikhawat suggests.<\/p>\n        <p>\u201cWe expect new brands to emerge out of creation of\n            new efficiencies, which will go on to dominate or capture\n            a big share of the market in the next five years,\u201d predicts\n            Sethi from Technopak. Kohinoor Food\u2019s Mahajan confirms\n            that the shift may be slow, but is clearly happening. \u201cAs\n            is the case for categories like spices, salt, sugar, and even\n            household cleaners, we see a shift from local to branded;\n            we foresee a similar pattern for the branded packaged rice\n            as well.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Sangita Ghosh Progressive Grocer February 2009 Transformation in the most popular staple food in India is slow, but definitely on Rice, which has long held the reputation of being the food of the masses, is witnessing a silent transformation in India. Things have come a long way from the \u201ctouch and feel\u201d approach to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-quotes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Against the grain - Third Eyesight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index,follow\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/myechoproject.com\/TES\/against-the-grain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Against the grain - Third Eyesight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Sangita Ghosh Progressive Grocer February 2009 Transformation in the most popular staple food in India is slow, but definitely on Rice, which has long held the reputation of being the food of the masses, is witnessing a silent transformation in India. 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