MUMBAI: India’s largest consumer goods firm, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), said on Friday its third-quarter profit slumped 22 per cent, missing analysts’ estimates, as weak demand in rural India continued to hurt sales. The Indian unit of Anglo-Dutch consumer group Unilever reported October to December earnings of INR 9.71 billion ($143.49 million), well below the INR 12.52 billion rupees posted during the same period a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected INR 10.56 billion. One-off income from the sale of properties had helped HUL’s income in the same quarter a year ago, the company said in a statement. Volumes in the December quarter grew about six per cent, nearly in line with analysts’ expectations. HUL’s sales, seen as a barometer of Indian consumer sentiment, have been hit in recent months due to weak demand from rural India.