author(s)
Vikas Kumar Sudhakar

abstract
Our country is a land of villages. There are about six lakh villages and over 70% of the population lives in these villages. The trust on rural development and the Green Revolution during the late 1960s and early 1970s that focused on the use of high yielding varieties of seeds, increased use of fertilizers and modern pest management practices have resulted in higher yields. From a food deficit nation in the mid-60s, our country became self-sufficient in food production in 1971 and we are now exporting agricultural produce to other countries. The rise in income coupled with increased awareness and the need for possessing modern goods have influenced the rural marketing environment in our country. Expansion of TV network, rising aspirations of rural people and packaging revolution, have contributed to the growth of rural markets.