Tata Chemicals extends i-Shakti brand from salt to pulses
- Introduces four variants of dals i.e., moong, chana, toor and urad
- To leverage Rallis India’s close farmer relationships and Tata Chemicals' existing wide distribution network of traditional kirana stores and large format food malls to market the dals
If there is a single food dish that reaches the core of every Indian’s heart, it is a warm cup of a simple, home-cooked dal (pulses). Dals are not only a rich source of protein, but also the mainstay of every Indian’s diet. India is probably the only nation that depends heavily on pulses as its staple food. Extending the i-Shakti brand from salt to other food essentials, Tata Chemicals (TCL), today, unveiled as India’s first national brand of pulses — i-Shakti Dals — and has launched four popular varieties of pulses i.e., chana, toor, urad and moong (including whole green moong and green chilka) in the Indian market.
The pulses range has been reasonably priced between MRP Rs95 to Rs100 for a one-kg pack and will be available in SKUs of one kg, 500g and 250g. Apart from the traditional kirana stores and modern format food retail chains, TCL will utilise its Tata Kisan Sansar outlets as well as its existent strong salt-distribution network to distribute the i-Shakti Dals range across the country.
The i-Shakti Dals range of pulses will be rolled out in a phased manner and will be initially available in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and then available in the rest of the country.
Speaking on the pulses foray, R Gopalakrishnan, chairman, Rallis India (Rallis), and vice chairman, TCL, said, '”Dal has been an integral part of almost every Indian meal, we are happy to introduce an initiative that is holistic in nature and takes due care in every process — from seed to food, therefore the term ‘from farm to fork’. Through this we aim to work towards creating a healthier future for our country.”
Adding further, R Mukundan, managing director, TCL, said, “Pulses are the cheapest and the richest source of protein for the vegetarian Indian. I-Shakti Dals was launched with the mission to not only increase production of pulses in India to help bridge the existing gap between demand and supply of pulses in the country, but also provide better / reliable quality, hygienic pulses to Indian household. Leveraging upon the synergies in the farm and consumer space, we are happy to have managed to influence a sizeable section of the Indian farmers community to undertake pulses’ cultivation and see the fruition of our efforts in this direction. What we are offering is a reasonably priced product bundle to the consumers for the convenience and better health of their families.”
The Indian population is majorly dominated by vegetarians, and coupled with a stagnant domestic production, the country is faced with domestic-supply gap. Today, the annual supply is 15 million tonnes, whereas the demand exceeds 18 million tonnes! Thus, creating a dependence on imports and pushing prices of pulses steadily over other food commodities in recent years.
Taking cognisance of this situation, TCL and Rallis joined hands to leverage upon their strength with a large section of farmers across India. Tata Chemicals with its wide reach in northern and eastern India, and Rallis with a strong network in southern and western India, successfully completed pilot projects towards the ‘farm to fork’ aspiration. Under the aegis ‘Grow More Pulses’, launched as a public, private partnership (PPP) in Punjab and Tamil Nadu respectively, the farming community in India was induced to cultivate pulses, through which the procurement and marketing of i-Shakti Dals is undertaken.