KATHMANDU, April 14: The government has made it mandatory for importers to label the maximum retail price (MRP) on imported goods, marking the second time in a year that such a directive has been issued.
The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSCP) has issued a public notice giving importers a 15-day deadline to implement the rule without fail. According to the department, the two-week period is intended to allow time for necessary preparations.
However, the department has repeatedly issued similar directives over the years, only to see them poorly implemented due to the lack of strict monitoring by government authorities. Last year as well, the department enforced a rule requiring manufacturers and importers to label MRP, along with the name of the manufacturer, batch number, and expiry date on essential goods. That provision, introduced in law over a decade ago, has never been effectively enforced.
Govt issues notice to implement MRP rules it failed to enforce...
Earlier, on September 17, 2012, the Ministry of Commerce published a notice in the Nepal Gazette making price tags mandatory for daily necessities. At that time, the government had targeted 32 to 33 items, including food products, milk, education fees, cement, and iron rods.
The current Constitution enshrines consumer rights as a means of protecting the general public. The Consumer Protection Act 2018 also addresses the implementation of MRP rules to ensure transparency in market transactions.
In the absence of effective MRP enforcement and government monitoring, consumers continue to be cheated on both price and quality, while a handful of traders benefit at the expense of the public. Recently, prices of essential goods have skyrocketed in local markets under the pretext of rising petroleum product prices.
In its public notice, the DoCSCP stated that implementing MRP rules will help make the market more transparent and reduce ongoing malpractices. In addition to enforcing MRP rules, the department has also instructed traders to issue invoices for all goods sold.
“Any firm found breaching the government rules will face action as per the law,” the DoCSCP warned.
