Oil adulteration back in vogue

Adulteration of coconut oil by blending it with cheaper edible oils is once again in vogue as the price gap between the two varieties of oil have widened over the last few months. The wholesale price of coconut oil here is Rs 5,825 per quintal and the retail price is Rs 6,200-6,300. So the blending of coconut oil with oils like palm kernel oil is rather widespread these days, say coconut oil traders.

Imported palm kernel oil is widely available in the Indian market for Rs 4,400-4,600, a quintal and the blending is a very attractive and profitable option in the retail trading of coconut oil. Up to 20 per cent of palm kernel oil can easily be mixed with coconut oil and there will not be a notable difference in the smell or colour of coconut oil.

The aroma of coconut oil will be quiet strong even after blending it with other oils. There will only be a change in the colour of the oil which cannot be easily detected by the common man. By tactically exploiting these qualities of coconut oil, the practice of blending is very wide in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

It is also notable that there is no correlation between the current prices of copra and coconut oil. As there is acute shortage in this season copra is available at a price tag of Rs 4,050-4,100 per quintal. According to leading traders, coconut oil cannot be sold below Rs 6,000 when considering the crushing cost of copra, including electricity and labour charges.