‘Companies have to keep changing, so do families’

What is the business outlook after the worst fears about economic downturn are behind us?

Ajay Shriram: We are in five different kind of business—seeds, sugar, fertilisers, rural retail and window solutions. In today’s market it is very important to see how we can combine our products and services in terms of technical know how, and knowledge. For example, we are a one-stop department store in rural India where one can get agricultural products, FMCG products, and white goods. This year we have made up our mind to consolidate this business.

Vikram Shriram: Our focus has been on rural India because of the government’s thrust and also because agriculture income is going up. Down the road, rural India is a good market place and our entry in this market was driven by our strong focus on the agriculture sector. So, the focus in each of the businesses is not necessarily to be number one in capacity, but in cost of production. In fact, we are one of the lowest cost producers because of scale and backward integration.

Why are

... contd.