The Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA) of India has advised its members to market edible oils with realistic MRP (maximum retail price) that the consumer needs to pay.
In a letter to the members of SEA on Wednesday, Atul Chaturvedi, President of SEA, said Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary of the Department of of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, had a meeting with SEA recently to review the prices of edible oil vis-a-vis duty reduction.
During the interaction, he had stated that the MRPs mentioned on the consumer packs are not commensurate with the reduction in import duty. Pandey said that many consumers are compelled to pay the MRP, even though the issue price of manufacturing companies are lower.
“We would like to advise our members to market edible oils with realistic MRP that the consumer needs to pay, and also issue advertisement through various media in the regions of their market emphasizing the discounted price immediately,” Chaturvedi said in a letter to SEA members.
Members need to seriously adopt this practice so that the consumers are not fleeced by the retailers as the Government is perturbed and keeping a close watch on the situation, he said.
The letter requested the members to keep SEA updated on the reduction in MRP of various edible oils and advertisements issued for the same. This will enable the association to apprise the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the steps taken by the industry to help reduce edible oil inflation, the letter said.