New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- India's consumer goods companies saw their volumes increase during the April-June period, as the government's move to ease the tax burden on the middle class, and increase the floor price at which it buys agricultural produce from farmers lifted demand for goods from chips and cheese to lotions and nail polish.

To be sure, companies' own efforts such as direct distribution, and softening inflation across some key raw materials such as tea, coffee, copra also helped boost sales.

In an interview with Mint on Tuesday, Marico Ltd's managing director and chief executive officer Saugata Gupta said its internal efforts to expand direct distribution also helped lift demand in local mom-pop stores that continue to be impacte...