Abstract
Problem: Market constraints and low contraceptive use by youth are stagnating India’s condom market. Despite a large condom market valued at Rs. 1,444 crores ($200 million) in 2020, condom sales in India have been stagnating with an average annual growth rate of 2 percent over the past six years. There are two main reasons for this stagnation. First, demand for condoms is very low, especially among India’s 600 million youth. India’s National Family Health Survey reports that around 78 percent of men between the ages 20 and 29 did not use any method of contraception at their last sexual encounter. Reasons for low use of condoms range from misconceptions, misinformation, stigma, and fear of judgement in purchasing condoms, to low levels of education about contraceptive methods and negative perceptions around condom use, e.g., it reduces pleasure. Second, constraints imposed on the Indian condom market have made it more difficult to sell condoms, e.g., condom advertising is banned after 9 p.m. on government TV channels, government has imposed a ceiling on the price of condoms, there are challenges in effectively using new media and digital platforms to reach populations, and COVID-related restrictions hamper condom distribution.
Solution: Unify India’s condom market players to have a more powerful voice and to share resources and knowledge to grow the condom market.
To increase demand for condoms and effectively influence the government to ease market constraints, condom market players cannot work
alone. They need to organize around one unified voice to have more impact.
In India, these players include commercial and social condom marketers, manufacturers, youth organizations, and industry associations. Bringing
this diverse group to the table enables its members to benefit from each other’s experience, expertise, platforms, and resources to have more influence. These organizations agreed that an Alliance would provide value to all its members, by:
• Serving as a common platform for sector players to come together to share ideas and resources,
• Supporting the implementation of activities to grow India’s condom market, and
• Advocating to government to reduce market barrier to growth.
SHOPS Plus Approach: Serve as a neutral broker to establish and initially support the Alliance to set it up for longer-term impact. To achieve these purposes, India’s condom market players came together in 2019 to establish a partnership called the Condom Alliance, facilitated by the Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Section (SHOPS) Plus project.
