The government should demand retailers of bulk commodities cut their prices to reflect falling global prices, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday.
Although the global prices of bulk commodities such as wheat, soybeans, rice and corn have dropped sharply, consumers have not benefited because retailers have not lowered their prices accordingly, said Hsieh Tien-jen (謝天仁), acting foundation chairman.
The price of bread and noodles remained high even though global flour prices had fallen significantly, Hsieh said.
In addition, most of the special zones set up by six supermarket and hypermarket chains for fair-price goods have not provided sufficient information and have only featured a few items, he said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Industrial Development Bureau said the factory price of flour dropped to NT$499.26 per 22kg package in the middle of last month from NT$584.04 per package in April. But as the price of flour products is linked to the purchasing behavior of wholesalers and pricing strategy of retailers, it is not appropriate for the government to interfere in the market economy, the bureau said.
However, the bureau said it would ask the Consumer Protection Commission to examine operations of the fair-price special zones.
However, commission official Liu Ching-fang (劉清芳) said the special zones were set up in accordance with administrative guidelines but not subject to regulation.
Given the sluggish domestic economy, there is a need to maintain the special zones, Liu said, although such space had shrunk to make room for promotional campaigns during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chung Yuan ghost festival.
She said the commission would provide the latest issue of Consumer Reports Magazine to the six supermarket and hypermarket chains to encourage them to keep their commitment to help consumers cope with surging prices.
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