Speaking to The Financial Express, the chairman of the KVIC, Mahesh Sharma said that this action plan for marketing will centre on the proposed 100 rural industrial clusters which are planned to be developed each year-as announced by the Finance Minister in his recent Budget speech.

He added that the KVIC will set up a Rural Industries Marketing Corporation, for the branding of products produced by the rural industries and introduce the concept of quality evaluation.

Initially, the markets for these products will be sought in the areas adjacent to these clusters. KVIC which has years of experience in marketing, will help these rural clusters to market their products. ``The local people of the area will be convincedabout the genuineness of the products. This will be an easier way to capture these markets before the MNCs or big companies can penetrate in rural areas,'' he said.

Later, some quality products will be selected for branding. These brand names will help in penetrating upper and middle class urban markets, which have a demand for eco-friendly products. The export potential of these products will also be considered, Sharma said.

There will be a careful selection of non-farm products to be manufactured in these clusters. The selection of goods will be made after a careful study of the local conditions and the requirements of both domestic and export markets.

Sharma said that the four-day national convention on Rural Industrialisation which recently concluded in the Capital has given enough inputs for developing 100 rural clusters each year. Most of these clusters will be selected in remote and backward areas of the country to generate employment opportunities.

To ensure better quality and higherproductivity in rural industry products, a National Coordinated Project on Scientific and Technological Inputs for Rural Industrialisation Programme should be initiated with the involvement of DST, CSIR, AICTE, CAPART and KVIC, said Sharma. Besides, a National Institute for Rural Industrialisation needs to be set up in Wardha and its regionals centres subsequently opened in IITs and IIMs spread all over the country.

The Jaipur-based National Institute of Agricultural Marketing is being renamed as the National Institute of Rural Marketing and is also being revitalised to impart effectiveness to several programmes.