Some green shoots, but rural a stressor for FMCG cos

Companies manufacturing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) continue to see rural stress sustain and it continues to trail urban demand. At the Confederation of Indian Industry’s FMCG summit, managements of various companies pointed out urban demand continued to grow while rural demand remained under pressure because incomes were under stress in rural areas. “Due to rural stress, volumes continue to remain an issue for the industry and we are yet to see any revival in demand,” Sudhir Sitapati, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) at Godrej Consumer Products