Several startups are now selling foods for children, using millets such as ragi and oats using convenience and health as a plank to market these products.
The Indian paper industry had reported revenue growth of 30 per cent a year before in FY23. "Indian paper manufacturers could see revenue decline of 8-10 per cent this fiscal, compared with a steep 30 per cent growth last fiscal, with average realisations expected to soften in keeping with lower raw material prices, and given intense competition," it said.
Though he concentrates on valuations, Anand Shah is not a classic value investor. While he advocated buying consumer companies for long, he now feels they will not be able to generate the ROE levels they could in the last decade. He thinks FMCG, specialty chemicals and paints are overvalued. The top bets in his portfolio are Tata Steel and Hindalco.
FMCG: "In India, about 40% of our portfolio is fabric cleaning and skin cleanser. And we know from experience that they are highly correlated to the underlying commodity prices. When inflation happens, a lot of smaller local firms in the category drop out of the category and then re-emerge once deflation starts to come in. So, we are starting to see that in India," Unilever global chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly said at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference.