Those involved in rural marketing are aware of the numerous hurdles they face because of the diverse nature of the demand.  The promotion of any technology designed for this sector is bound to encounter similar problems.  

In fact, marketing of a technology is a more complex issue compared to marketing a product.  A product can be tried out but, in accepting a technology, one has to accept certain changes in the exiting socio-economic mores and norms.  A successful delivery mechanism of a technology for the rural area presumes the following factors:

Development Alternatives’ Shelter Unit, which has developed the Micro-lite roofing (MCR) tile as an alternative to the existing bio-mass (thatch) roofs, has invested four years in research and development to make the product suitable for the rural context.  The technology has been designed so that it can be easily accepted as a micro enterprise in the rural sector.   

R.K. Aggarwal, a civil engineer who has been involved with the product from the research and development stage to the present marketable technology and product, says, “The most important factor for any technology to succeed is, first, the need for it.  Second, a mechanism that meets the local needs, taking account of the fluctuations in the market demand.”   

The MCR tiles were put to test in different cities with various understructures and diverse climatic conditions.  Once the product was ready the team geared up to market the technology.   

Yes - the technology.  It was decided form the very beginning that the thrust will be on marketing the technology.  “The product in itself is not so important, it is the widespread acceptance of the technology that will popularize the product,” says Aggarwal.   

Following the Shelter Group’s earlier experiences, it was decided that the marketing should be more personal.  The need to include people who are dominate figures/change agents in the local economy was realised early on.   

We left Delhi prepared with our trainer, the T.A.R.A. vibrator, a portable iron angle which could act as roof understructure and, of course, the tiles.  Our first stop was at Etah.  There, the Shelter Group had already approached Lipton India which has a wide network in the villages through their milk collection centres.  These centres were ideal for our work as we could meet a cross section of the villagers.   

The first milk collection centre we visited was Pillua.  We reached it ready with our machine and the demo roof.  The product was quite easily recognised as “cement ki khaprel.”  The questions asked ranged form the price of the product to the composition of material, the raw material, the understructures, etc. R.K.’s task was to make them familiar with the process of production and the repeatedly stated “we want one of you to set up the production unit in your village.”   

The next day we were at Mohampura.  There we met a group of educated, unemployed youths.  The questions they raised were more directly related to the process of setting up a micro unit by individuals or groups.  We had a break-through when we were invited to the Mohampura local market to give a demonstration.  The person interested was Harish Chandra Goesl, who owns a number of shops in the market.  The demonstration attracted a number of local people who actively participated in the discussions.   

The Earth area is perfect for a product like MCR because, at present, there is no alternate roofing technology employed.  This area could be exploited with the help of the District Industrial Council Etah and Industrial Training Institute, where we were asked to demonstrate.  We interacted with people who could use the product and others who could set up units to produce the product for local use.   

Unlike Etah, Etawah was an altogether different experience.  On the highway itself, we came across the half built structure of a roof roughly 25 feet by 20 feet for a dhaba with MCR tiles.  It was a sight that brought a broad grin to our faces.  A delighted R.K., exclaimed with the voice of a victorious warrior, “See, MCR!” 

Ajitmal, near Etawah, was the place where the first entrepreneur, Devindar Sharma, had set up his unit.  One could see houses with MCR roofs.  There were housing colonies with MCR tiles and, in the market, a number of shops had stocked them.   

The success of Devindar Sharma had generated a great deal of interest among the local people.  The product was popular, making the technology not only economically viable, but profitable, too.  In Ajitmal, our interactions were more directed towards setting up production units, explaining how to acquire the vibrator and, generally, the ins and outs of establishing a micro-enterprise.   

From Ajitmal, we went along with Shiv Kumar Sharma, a  local leader, and B.R.S. Chauhan, a teacher in a college, to the village Harchandpur and met Rampal Singh Koswar a social activist who is highly respected in the area.  He was interested in our technology.  The village was picturesque with mud walls, fields with crops and thatch roofs.  We set up our machine to give a demonstration, and, in no time, the product generated interest.  The operation of the vibrator was easily understood.  The discussion after the demonstration was more of an exchange of views, the pros and cons of thatch vs. MCR wee excitedly discussed and carefully analysed.   

In a village like Harchandpur, a collective production centre was something we could envisage.   

From Ajitmal we headed towards Bhind, where Ram Sia had just bought a vibrator.  An enterprising individual, he became interested in MCR as a product when he saw it at Devindar Sharma’s workshop.  He took up selling the finished tiles and constructing roofs in villages around Bhind.  He has used a number of understructures and modes of transport - ranging from camel and donkey to a tractor.  He had covered nearly 15 villages in Bhind, before he realised the growing demand for the product.  He decided to set up his own unit.   

Sia took us to some villages where he had constructed roofs.  What we saw made us cheerful: cattle sheds, shops. Houses all had MCR roofs.  There were also roofs where MCR and thatch had both been put to use successfully.  People using MCR were interested in knowing about the other understructures that they could use instead of bamboo or wood that were presently in use.  

Sia requested us not to sell anybody the machine without consulting him, as in the near future he would like to operate through retail outlets and increase production and users by setting up the machines close to the boundaries of the villages.  Here was a man who had built a reputation and market for the product by his enterprise.   

From Bhind, we headed towards Jhansi.  Through our district office we approached several stone crushers.  The stone dust one to two millimeters in size has no market in Jhansi or nearby areas, but it can be an important constituent of our tiles.  The crushers themselves were looking for a means of disposing of the dust.  We visited a few crushing sites and could see stone dust piled up into mounds of different sizes.   

The crushers are ideal for a number of reasons.  First, they have the necessary infrastructure; second, space needed to manufacture the tiles is available at the crushing sites; third, they have linkages with many towns as they sell their stone products there.  This group of entrepreneurs can have a catalytic effect on the widespread acceptance of the product in a large area.   

The experience of selling a technology has many facets.  The new concept must be made acceptable, the product known to a group and its feasibility proven by initiating some to accept it as an income generating activity.  We were exposed to many problems and queries that were directly or indirectly related to the various aspects of the rural market.  We were forced to take into consideration the particular living styles, the amenities present and the conditions needed to set up a production unit.   

By means of slide shows and demonstrations highlighting the costs and profit margins involved, we were able to enthuse the local populations to take a genuine interest in the product.  The economics of MCR tiles over conventional thatch on the grounds of longer durability and, thus, a lower replacement cost compared to thatch was explained with the help of charts and calculations.  These were appreciated by the people.  Our adopted methods were successful because nothing satisfies buyers more than direct, visual demonstration accompanied by convincing answers to their queries.   

To top it all, the technology comes as a package which can be taken on rent for a meager sum.  This includes a machine and trainer which would allow a person to produce 150 tiles a day in order to test the market demand for the product.  This is surely a lure very few entrepreneurs could or would miss out on.  q

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