Rakesh Kumar Gandhi is a successful distributor of Safal Khaini and Rajshree in Saharanpur. All his brothers are also engaged in the pan masala and tobacco trade. The family operates five distribution points in the market, managed by his brothers and relatives.

Speaking to Tobacco Plus, Rakesh Kumar Gandhi shared that his forefathers migrated from Pakistan. Initially, the family was involved in the bidi and matchbox business, later entering the pan masala sector. Having deep knowledge of the pan masala and tobacco industry, he spoke about the challenges after the new taxation system, saying that proper supply of brands is still not being maintained, leading to shortages in the market.

He pointed out that even recently launched brands like Gagan and Rajshree are not being supplied smoothly. Rajshree has been launched here at an MRP of ₹5. The pouch contains 2.4 grams of pan masala, whereas the company’s flagship product Kamla Pasand contains 2 grams.

When asked about the positioning of brands in the market, Rakesh Kumar Gandhi told Tobacco Plus that Dilbagh is the top-selling brand, followed by Kamla Pasand in second place, Bahubali in third, and Vimal in fourth. Shikhar is also witnessing decent sales. In khaini, Safal enjoys one-sided dominance, though its supply too remains inadequate.

He said customers are facing inconvenience due to limited supply. In the mouth freshener segment, ToJo from Ambala is performing strongly. In sweet supari, Sweety continues to maintain its earlier dominance, followed by Rose in second place and Ritik in third.

Demanding simplification in the taxation process, Rakesh Kumar Gandhi said traders want to work in a transparent and compliant manner, but the taxation process has become so complicated that it is creating difficulties. He urged the government to make the taxation system simpler.