The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry primarily deals with the production, distribution and marketing of consumer packaged goods, i.e. those categories of products that are consumed at regular intervals. Examples include food & beverage, personal care, pharmaceuticals, plastic goods, paper & stationery and household products etc. The industry is vast and offers a wide range of job opportunities in functions such as sales, supply chain, finance, marketing, operations, purchasing, human resources, product development and general management. Global leaders in the FMCG segment are Sara Lee, Nestlé, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kleenex, General Mills, Pepsi and Mars etc.

Performance

In India, the FMCG industry is the fourth largest sector with a total (organized) market size of over US$15 billion in 2007, as per ASSOCHAM, and can be classified under the premium and popular segments. The premium segment (~25%) caters mostly to the higher/upper middle income consumers while the price sensitive popular or mass segment (~75%) consists of consumers belonging mainly to the semi-urban or rural areas who are not, and cannot afford to be, brand conscious.

The market growth over the past 5 years has been phenomenal, primarily due to consumers’ growing disposable income which is directly linked to an increased demand for FMCG goods and services. Indeed, it is widely acknowledged that the large young population in the rural and semi-urban regions is driving demand growth, with the continuous rise in their disposable income, life style, food habits etc. On the supply side, the wide availability of raw materials, vast agricultural produce, low cost of labor and increased organized retail have helped the competitiveness of players.

At a time when the economy and other large industrial sectors such as automobiles, aviation