The onus is also on the buyer to ensure that the product being bought is not adulterated, Rupinder Singh Sodhi, President of Indian Dairy Association said.
Sodhi, who is an old hand in the sector having once worn the hat of Amul Chief, in a freewheeling chat with businessline on the impact of latest adulteration controversy regarding the ghee used for making Tirumala laddus on the dairy industry and the farmers said, “it is the farmer who is most affected because of such mischievous brands who indulge in adulteration.” Excerpts.
Do you see any impact on the industry per se of the latest controversy?
Such type of controversy will definitely have a negative impact on dairy about product quality and ghee as a product because it is creating doubts in the minds of the consumers that it is a heavily adulterated product, which actually may not be the case if you are buying a very reputed brand or a cooperative brand. Also, people may get scared thinking “what is there in it”.
But we can also see the scenario in a positive sense. The positive of this will be that it will definitely increase the demand of the big brand or cooperative brands. Now the consumer will shift from unknown or regional brand to the reputed brands.
Another positive impact will be that institutions like temples, gurudwaras having big langars, sweet makers — who are large consumers of the product — they may no longer opt for lowest price bidders as they know quality is more important than price. Also when you are a reputed ghee brand the brand stands for quality. The incident will definitely increase faith in the big brands.
What kind of impact it has on farmers?
Such type of controversy definitely impacts the farmer’s income. Firstly, you see when such type of rampant adulteration takes place, then farmers do not get their due price which in this case is milk or milk fat because if the real cost of producing 1 kg of ghee is, suppose, ₹550 a kg and somebody after adulteration starts selling at ₹345, 350 or 400, then the farmer will be forced to reduce the real cost of this produce to compete with the adutlerated produce.
Today, if the Indian farmer is not able to get the real price for the produce it is because of the rampant adulteration happening across India by such mischievous brands.
This also raises questions on the role of bodies like FSSAI. What according to you can be a better way of managing things?
As far as question on regulators are concerned they will be more careful now, I think. They, I think, will be advising their field offices and staff who take samples to be more careful with such type of products while taking samples.
I suppose, now there is a chance for FSSAI to become more active and also to use latest technology to test ghee. Because you see “mischievous players” , always come out with a solution or jugaad to circumvent the quality checks put by the regulator. So what I think is that the regulating body has to be one step ahead of these people in coming out with the latest testing mechanism and also to train and execute those testing methods in the field. So it is a challenge to FSSAI and other regulating bodies to ensure how they are ahead in technology versus these mischievous players.
Do you think there is a need for a regulator? Or should it be self regulated?
See, a regulator is already there like FSSAI. It is more for the buyer to regulate. They have to go for a better process of buying. I mean they could register few reputed suppliers by thoroughly testing their samples — not only the sample piece which sellers send but also from all the batches and from the market. Thereafter, they should call for competitive bidding from these registered suppliers — who qualify technically and who have their own source of milk procurement from the farmers so that you are sure that the product being sold is genuinely produced by them.
More than the bodies like FSSAI, the buyer has to be more conscious with their systems and also they can test the product whenever they receive products like ghee. Every State has got very good accredited laboratories with GC testing machines. So, instead of telling the seller to send the test report along with the consignment it is better for buyer to send the samples for testing for the product received in their warehouse before making the payment.
