Labeling of vegetable oil: experts propose assessing the system's readiness for expansion
The Tax Committee has proposed including vegetable oil in the list of goods subject to mandatory labeling. The draft of the relevant decision has been published for public discussion.
Labeling of vegetable oil: experts suggest assessing the system's readiness for expansion
Kun.uz's interlocutors believe that before introducing new requirements, it is necessary to understand how they might affect product prices, the purchasing power of the population, and the operations of manufacturers. In addition, they suggest studying in advance how effectively the current labeling system operates and devising ways to resolve emerging issues.
According to Bakirov, additional economic calculations are needed to assess the validity of the initiative. In particular, he pointed to the lack of data on the volume of the shadow market in the sector and what effect is expected from the labeling.
"What is the size of our market? How much counterfeit product is on it, according to their estimates? What is the volume of turnover and production of vegetable oil that can be attributed to the shadow economy? There are no data whatsoever. Nor are there any calculations of the expected economic effect.
There are no calculations presented such as: 'We will impose such and such costs on our businesses, retail, and consumers, and we will get such and such an economic effect.' Before adding a particular product to the list of items subject to labeling, an independent assessment must be conducted,"
the economist said.
He also stressed that vegetable oil is an everyday essential commodity. Therefore, in his opinion, an assessment should be made in advance regarding how additional expenses might affect low-income families.
Murod Muhammadjonov believes that before expanding the list of labeled products, it is worth evaluating the operational experience of the current system, including at the production and logistics stages.
"First of all, we need to answer the question: is the labeling system working correctly? Difficulties arise during the production process. If even a single error occurs during laser marking, the entire line stops and has to be restarted.
There are also problems in logistics. Instances of duplicate codes are observed: when you try to scan the code of a labeled product, it turns out to have already been used elsewhere. The problems of the system itself have not yet been resolved, yet new products are already being added to it,"