Asansol Market has good demand for Koyas: Manoj Kumar Poddar
In Asansol, West Bengal, agarbatti and dhoop packs priced at ₹20, ₹50, and ₹100MRP are the most popular. Manoj Kumar Poddar, head of Manoj Dhoop Centre, told Sugandh India that the highest sales are for packs priced at ₹20. Manoj Dhoop Centre has been trading agarbatti products in Asansol for the past 30 years. He said that earlier, very few agarbatti companies offered agencies, and the market mainly operated through trading. However, today almost all companies provide agencies. He mentioned that he hefirst took the agency of Dhanlaxmi, but now the company has opened its own depot. At present, ManojDhoop Centre handles brands such as Koyas, Balaji Darshan (Chamundi Agarbatti Works), and Incense India. In addition, products of all popular brands are also available at their retail counter.
Responding to a question, Manoj Kumar Poddar said that nearly 90% of the supply is carried out directly from their counter, and people from Asansol and nearby areas purchase goods directly. In Asansol, brand sales vary according tolocality and counter. For example, at his outlet, products of Koyasand Balaji Darshan (Chamundi Agarbatti Works) sell the most. Apart from these, brands such as Bharat Darshan, Cycle, Zed Black, Shantiniketan, ITC, and Balaji are among the top-selling in the overall market.
Answering another question, he said that the dhoop market is also growing rapidly. Both wet and dry dhoop are in demand, with most Hindi-speaking consumers preferring wet dhoop. He added that in wet dhoop, Zed Black’s Manthan is the top-selling product, followed by Balaji Darshan, Koyas, and Mangaldeep. Almost all companies are now selling wet dood. The market for sambrani cups is also increasing and sees a significant rise during festivals. In sambrani, Cycle’s Naivedya is the top-selling brand, while Koyassambrani sells more at their outlet.
He further said that, on average, a customer in this region spends around ₹500 per month on dhoop and agarbatti products. In tilak and chandan, Drolia products are popular, while in camphor, Balaji Darshan sells more at their outlet, although Mangalam is the highest-selling brand across Asansol. There is also a strong market for loose camphor in the region.
