KOCHI: The Federation of Consumer Organisations-Kerala has urged all consumers in the State to protest against the rise in the prices of consumer goods by not shopping on February 17.

The federation wanted consumers to keep off shops and restaurants on the day so that a strong, collective voice could be raised against the unbridled price rise. The protest should be peaceful, it said.

T. Sundaresan, general secretary of the federation, told The Hindu that business groups with extensive retail networks were now controlling the consumer market. With their clout, these business groups were now in a position to jack up prices at their will. They were slowly edging out small retailers and grocery shops in the State.

Supermarkets and the chain stores were adding to the price rise, he said. Mr. Sundaresan said the entry of large business houses and multinationals into the retail sector would further worsen the situation.

MRP of goods

Tom Jose, secretary of the federation, called for a mechanism to determine the maximum retail price (MRP) of consumer goods. He said consumers were being extensively cheated in the name of MRP, which was determined by manufacturers. These manufacturers often jacked up the prices 50 to 100 per cent on the MRP tags so that the retailers could charge any price they thought fit but which remained within the MRP. The very fact that many retailers sold products much below the MRP showed that there was no correlation between the MRP and the cost of production.

Mr. Jose urged the Government to set up a Consumer Price Commission to determine and control the prices of consumer goods.

He pointed out that the drug price control mechanism in the country, though not perfect, helped in controlling the drug price and preventing undue exploitation of patients.

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