Sales of daily groceries and essentials increased 8.5% YoY between April and June; the highest increase in a decade. FMCG sales was up 5.3% in rural markets and 12% in cities from a year earlier. However, consumption in villages only grew by 2%. Analysts believe the high increase in sales was largely due to the government offering free food grains, notably atta, which saw a growth of 8.5% during the quarter.