Rural, urban growth gap narrowing, says CEO of Dabur

Dabur India Ltd Global Chief Executive Officer Mohit Malhotra said in the fourth quarter of FY2026 rural markets continued to outpace urban consumption with rural demand growing ahead of urban India by 350 basis points.

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“That said the gap between rural and urban growth has narrowed significantly compared to December 2025, reflecting a more balanced consumption recovery. We expect this convergence to continue,” he added.

FMCG major Dabur India posted a 16 per cent growth in consolidated net profit in the fourth quarter of 2025-26 at Rs 362 crore, up from Rs 312.7 crore in the comparable period last year.

Consolidated revenue increased 7.3 per cent to Rs 3,038 crore in the fourth quarter from Rs 2,830 crore a year ago. The India FMCG business posted a growth of 9.5 per cent during the quarter.

Middle East business was impacted amidst geopolitical disturbances. Unseasonal rains in March-2026 impacted summer portfolio business, the company said in an investor presentation.

Despite facing headwinds in Middle East, Dabur said its international business grew by 2.5 per cent during the quarter, led by Sub-Saharan Africa (20 per cent), the UK & EU (10 per cent), the USA (6.2 per cent) and Bangladesh (22 per cent).

“Despite inflationary pressures, Dabur leveraged its strong brand superiority to deliver healthy growth across the key and highly competitive home & personal care and healthcare categories. The company’s business fundamentals remain robust, with brands across honey, health juices, digestives, oral care, hair care, Healthcare, air fresheners and foods reporting strong gains during the quarter,” Malhotra said.

“Within Urban India, e-commerce and modern trade have been driving demand, growing by 49 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively. Quick commerce is driving the online business, posting a growth of 54 per cent. This channel was a major contributor to our foods business, which grew by 30 per cent in Q4. We will continue to double down on emerging channels which serve as the incubators for Dabur’s innovation and premium products,” he added.

The company’s revenue for the full year 2025-26 increased 5 per cent to Rs 13, 193 crore. Net profit for the year reported a 7.4 per cent growth at Rs 1,869 crore when compared to last year.

The company has declared a final dividend of Rs 5.50 a share.

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