Ensuring Sustainability of Self-Help Groups through Effective Marketing Strategies: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, government of different countries, NGOs, and international donors have been giving attention and assistance to small women entrepreneurs. They have increasingly become a key target for micro finance programmes. These microentrepreneurs, most of them being women, are identified as micro finance beneficiaries since they are the target group entitled to receive the benefits of micro finance programmes. Traditionally micro finance programmes were aimed at removing constraints of availability of finance for operations and asset building of micro entrepreneurs. Today the micro finance schemes are recognising the fact that without proper marketing innovations and strategies it would not be possible for the micro finance beneficiaries to sustain their enterprises in the long run. Micro finance programmes in India have also stressed upon marketing as a vital tool for sustainability of enterprises operated by the beneficiaries. The guidelines of the programmes specify that Government and Non- Government Agencies should render specific services and allot definite amount of funds for piloting marketing programmes for micro finance beneficiaries. The guidelines also specify the importance of carrying out market surveys before product specific micro enterprises are set up in rural areas. This study while delving into the importance of marketing strategies for micro finance beneficiaries, takes up the case of micro-entrepreneurs engaged in making pottery and terracotta items in a rural belt in the district of Darjeeling, West Bengal. Through personal observation, interviews, and administration of structured questionnaires, the production techniques, marketing avenues, problems in marketing and help from Government agencies like the District Rural Development Centre have been explored. It has been found that though a variety of items are produced and marketed by the beneficiaries in local markets, out-station fairs and through middlemen, they face a host of problems with regard to marketing. The paper therefore recommends some policy prescriptions to ameliorate these problems and evolve proper marketing strategies for microfinance beneficiaries.

Keywords: Marketing Channels, Microfinance

View PDF