As the authorities warned the wholesalers and retailers not to increase the profit margin higher than the prescribed percentages, a high influx of adulterated edible oil into the market was witnessed.
It was hard to buy palm oil in the shops in August. However, the adulterated oil was sold at K8000-9,000 per viss, Daw Yon Ngwe from Thingyangyun Township, told the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
The authorities warned the traders not to sell adulterated oil in the markets of Yangon and other regions in early September. This being so, they are nowhere to be found at Nyaungpinlay market in Lanmadaw Township this week.
The prices of edible oil stood at K4,500 per viss for palm oil and K16,000 per viss for peanut oil in the Yangon market.
Both consumers and sellers cannot detect the ingredients and proportions of the adulterated oil found in the market.
Starting in late 2000, cooking oil adulterated with palm oil and peanut flavor flowed into the market at a cheaper price than that of peanut oil. Yet, they were priced higher than the palm oil. It has been years that they are sold at the grocery stores and shops in Yangon and other areas, Daw Tin Ma Ma, a seller from the delta region told the GNLM.
There is transparency in the palm oil subsidy scheme that the consumers can get access to palm oil at a fairer price. However, some traders from regions outside Yangon sell them only when some commodities are added to the buying list, a buyer from a region outside Yangon said.
Some edible oil shops let an individual buy palm oil at a retail price of K4,400-K4,500 per viss this month. Consumers can complain about overcharging the palm oil. The consumers called for a surprise check for adulterated oil in the market as a consumer protection measure. — TWA/EM
