Subhashis Basu, the business head, dairy products, at Mother Dairy, one of India’s largest packaged food companies, talks about the market.
Are you seeing more demand in the urban or rural areas?
The demand for packaged foods is growing across India, whether it is rural or whether it is urban. We are seeing a huge upswing in demand in the rural segment. However, the last few months have not been so good because of bad rains – because the rural economy is still dependent on agriculture and agriculture is dependent on good rain. But if I look at the long-term trend, rural and urban demands are increasing. The category of products might vary. For example, ice cream will be more of an urban-led phenomenon. That is primarily because there is an absence of a frozen cold chain at the rural level.
Could you talk about Mother Dairy’s growth strategy?
We have grown into the second-biggest packaged food company in India. But a few years back, we were primarily a Delhi-based company with a very limited portfolio and primarily selling through our own retail outlets. We took a call that to grow we would have to evolve to selling across mom-and-pop stores and modern-trade stores across the city, and secondly expand the footprint nationally, and evolve our portfolio to value-added products from having just basic products. The first steps are to go into the urban areas because there is a huge urban market to be tapped in India, so even over the next five years our focus will be primarily urban markets.
What are the biggest challenges in the market?
In terms of the new products, there is dilemma among many manufacturers about how much to invest in new categories. We are continuously working on Indian formats of food and western formats and trying to find a bridge between the two. The cold [storage] chain across the rural areas and smaller towns is one of the biggest challenges.
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The specs
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
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Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
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Seats open:
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Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
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Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
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Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
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Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
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