Market monitoring pace picks up

KATHMANDU: To check violations legal provisions in the import of consumer goods, the Department of Commerce
(DoC) has requested the Department of Customs to promote the import of goods which have consumer details on their packaging. DoC has started a market monitoring campaign since July in a bid to control the price hike.
Consumer Protection Act 1998 clearly mentions the producer/manufacturer must mention maximum retail price (MRP), manufacturing date, expiry date on each consumption unit. According to the Act, in the case of imported goods information about the importer should be mentioned on each unit.
“We have found lots of consumer items without consumer details in market,” said DoC director general Anil Kumar Thakur. “We decided to regulate at the entry points,” he added. This week, from August 16 to 20, the DoC monitoring team found 15 brands of rice, wheat flour, lentils and edible oils did not have the
details this week. Three brands of date expired wheat flour were found in the market.
Thakur said the anomalies hacve prompted DoC to take strong measures. He added that the department needs the support of traders and consumers to regularise the market. DoC has sent a list of retailers to the Food and Standards Control Department (FSCD) whose shops had date expire food items. “We don’t have the right to take action against them, FSCD and District Administration Office (DAO) should take further action,” said Thakur.
DoC is planning to implement consumer details in packed food grains produced in Nepal. “We can implement it easily if the Internal Revenue Department (IRD) helps,” said Dr Khil Nath Bastakoti, director. According to the plan, the producer must mention consumer details to get excise duty certificate. Talks fort this are going on, he added.
Moreover, DoC is expanding its market monitoring campaign throughout the country, mobilizing all DAOs. “We are providing financial and technical assistance for massive price-list (wholesale and retail)
campaign,” said Bastakoti. DoC has advised the Ministry of Commerce and Supply (MoCS) to bring
municipalities in the scope of the price-list campaign.
DoC monitoring from August 16-20 in Kathmandu valley revealed that retail shops have close-connection with municipalities rather than other departments. Of 25 shops monitored, 22 shops have registered in municipalities whereas only 13 are registered under DoC. Three shops were running without permission from authorities.