The Amul girl is probably one of India's most admired social commentators, even though she is a 50-year-old cartoon character and brand mascot for the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, one of the country's largest dairy companies.
She is so well known all over the subcontinent and the Arabian Gulf for her witty and topically barbed comments she is often hailed as one of the biggest brand successes of modern India.
The little cartoon girl in a polka-dot bow and dress is quick to take aim at anything making the headlines in the country - from cricket scandals to Bollywood gossip and even government corruption.
"Because the people behind the brand are not some huge multinational corporation but a dairy collective consisting of thousands of small farmers, Indian people really connect with the brand," says Prashant Pinge, a partner at the branding consultancy Media Panther in Mumbai.
"We can safely say that the brand has revolutionised the Indian dairy industry."
But now the Amul girl is facing tough competition on a new front with foreign rivals lining up to steal her limelight and cash in on an Indian dairy industry set to grow at annual rate of 10 per cent. By 2015, the sector is expected to hit US$90 billion (Dh330.57bn), according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
While they may not have the Amul girl's charm, the international players do have pots of cash and the drive and corporate savvy to succeed.
The French company Danone, which makes yogurts and curds, has invested heavily in getting its retail connections and supply chains right and is increasing its production in the country.
The Swiss company Nestlé is another global brand planning to invest millions of dollars to expand into the dairy industry, which is also made up of thousands of smaller co-operatives.
"The Indian dairy sector is largely unorganised [small cooperatives]," says Shushmul Maheshwari, the chief executive of RNCOS, a research agency in the New Okhla industrial development authority. "Because of this structure, there remain ample opportunities for branded dairy products and, in my opinion, foreign food giants like Danone can reap profits by penetrating into a small but steadily growing, organised sector."
But in a fragmented market, competition is tough and is getting tougher now global groups have moved in.
"For national and international players like Amul, Nestlé& Britannia, local brands and state government cooperatives such as Verka and KMF [Karnataka Milk Federation] will become major challengers," says Pratichee Kapoor, the associate vice president of food services & agriculture at Teknopak, a management consultancy. "These players are better positioned to procure milk from village centres."
Dairy products are the top-ranked commodity in India accounting for 16 per cent of the total global production, Assocham has reported.
"High per capita consumption due to rising population and increasing disposable income are driving the growth of this industry," says Mr Maheshwari. "Also, increasing health-consciousness among Indians is boosting the demand for healthy products, which will further drive the industry in the coming years."
But being able to cater for local tastes is a key factor for foreign dairy groups trying to build market share.
"Companies can gain competitive advantage with the introduction of new value-added products like yogurt and fermented milk products," says Ms Kapoor. "Increasing product ranges to suit Indian tastes such as zeera, raita, lassi is another key advantage."
Yet it is not just everyday staples that are growing. Indians are hungry and thirsty for new products.
"Flavoured milk drinks have been the most dynamic products within this industry - we have seen volume growth of between 17 to 22 per cent every year over the past five years," says Parita Chitakasem, a research manager for Euromonitor International. "These products continued to benefit from the consumer trend to switch from carbonated soft drinks to healthier alternatives."
But there are other factors driving the market, as Indian shoppers are split into different groups when it comes to buying dairy products.
"The urban population in general is more inclined towards branded products, whereas it is totally different in case of the rural population," says Mr Maheshwari. "Packaged milk and dairy products are not used much by people in rural areas but ghee, butter, cream are produced at home."
Urban, health-conscious shoppers are also looking for new alternatives, according to market-watchers.
"Soya-based beverages are still a niche market among affluent urban consumers," says Ms Chitakasem. "But soya milk performed very strongly, registering 14 per cent growth last year with the support of new product developments."
For the Amul girl, things are unlikely to go sour in the near future.
"The well-established dairy players, such as Amul, will continue to influence consumers positively in the coming years," says Mr Maheshwari. "They will be successful in maintaining the strong market position due to their diversified products catering the taste of Indian consumers."
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
