Initial reports about the test marketing, conducted simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Bangalore, indicate that majority of the consumers are in favour of eco-friendly products being catered to by KVIC.

KVIC plans to price its products competitively. A half kg bottle of honey will be priced at Rs 65, a 75 gm sandalwood soap bar at Rs 9 and 100 gm bar at Rs 13. While a half kg bottle of pickle will be priced at Rs 45, a packet of agarbatti will be priced at Rs 13.

Apart from these, KVIC intends to sell cooking medium red chilly powder priced at Rs 15 per 100 gm pack, turmeric powder Rs 10 per 100 gm pack and dhania Rs 9 per 100 gm pack.

The marketing of these products will be streamlined in a centralised corporate manner. All the decentralised local units have been advised to produce these products according to the quality norms accepted by KVIC. It has decided to invest more than Rs 8 crore in quality upgradation and administration. The Sarvodaya Quality Circle (SQC) is headed by the deputy CEO of village industries division, JL Choudhry, and has representatives from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and KVIC's science and technology division.

KVIC has accepted the product quality norms set by BIS and Agmark. In products such as agarbattis in which BIS and Agmark norms are not yet available, the SQC will lay down necessary quality standards.

For further strengthening the quality norms both for the products and operation of the units, IIT-Delhi will be supplying technical inputs for rural industries programme on a turn-key basis. A tripartite MoU is likely to be signed between IIT-Delhi, the Union ministry of small-scale, agro and rural industries and KVIC in the third week of August. The Central Research Institute at Wardha will be upgraded as the National Institute of Rural Industries (NIRI).

The UNDP is rendering technical assistance to upgrade skills in producing honey, pottery, bamboo products and handmade paper and UNIDO in leather products.