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■商販在豬肉批發價下降時，沒有同步調低零售價，對消費者不公平。 資料圖片
消委會調查發現，過去10多個月，新鮮豬肉零售價格不僅未隨批發價格下調，反而上升。商販在豬肉批發價下降之時沒有同步調低零售價，這種有加無減的不良營商做法對消費者不公平，加重市民的生活壓力。在通脹高企的日子，商家不隨來貨價下調零售價實非個別現象，對民生影響極大。當局應調查商販有否聯手定價。
今年1月底以來，內地豬肉價格持續下降，與1月31日相比，已接近去年同期水平。去年10月活豬平均批發價按月下調7.2%，但瘦肉平均零售價反而上升0.9%，市民未能受惠。豬肉加快減慢的現象非今日始，早於2008年，社會曾討論過豬肉零售價格有加無減的問題。然而多年過去，問題仍然存在，商販加價行動一致，當中是否存在聯手定價，當局必須調查。
商販看準市民不了解豬肉批發價的弱點，肆意加價，當局便應對症下藥。政府可定期公布各種與市民息息相關的商品批發價，增加市場透明度，以加強監察零售價變動。消委會的物價調查可以更系統的形式公布，不限於臨時性質，在通脹高企時期更應加密調查。
Closer monitoring is necessary as price of pork is always raised but never reduced
Research done by the Consumer Council found that the retail price of fresh pork had risen in the past 10 months despite the fact that the wholesale price had actually fallen. Retailers did not catch up and correspondingly lower their retail price of pork even when the wholesale price had gone down. Adjusting prices only upward but never downward is in fact a malpractice of trade. It is unfair to consumers and puts additional pressure on people's daily lives. In times of high inflation, there will not be just one isolated case for retailers not to mark down their retail price even when there is a drop in the source price. Such practice greatly affects the livelihood of the people, and the authorities have to investigate whether retailers have actually joined up to fix the price.
Since the end of January, the price of pork from the mainland has dropped consistently. Comparing the figure of 31 January, it can be seen that the pork price was in fact close to the level of the same period last year. Last October, the average wholesale price of live pigs plummeted by 7.2% month on month, but the average retail price of lean pork rose by 0.9% to the contrary. So, people have not really enjoyed the benefit brought by the drop in wholesale price. It is not a new phenomenon for pork price to rise fast but drop slow. In as early as 2008, there had been discussions in society on the issue of retail price of pork being constantly on a rise without falling. Many years have passed and the problem remains. The retailers act with one accord in raising the price, and the authorities must find out whether there exists a deed of joint price fixing.
Retailers see well the weakness of the people in not knowing much about the wholesale price of pork, so they just raise the price as much as they like. The authorities need to tackle the problem in the right way. The government may regularly publicize the wholesale prices of commodities crucial to the people and increase the transparency of the market so that the fluctuation of retail prices can be monitored more closely. The findings on price surveys done by the Consumer Council can be publicized more systematically, and not just on an ad hoc basis. Researches should also be done more frequently particularly in times of high inflation. ■Translation by 東明 tungming23@gmail.com
逢周五見報
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