Removal of masks and sanitisers from essential commodities list may boost our economy.Industry sources say – we now have a chance not just to keep supplying it locally but also export to meet the global demand.
Govt has removed masks, sanitisers from essential commodities list. On March 21, the government had issued orders to put hand sanitisers and masks in the list but an order dated July 1 from the ministry of consumer affairs has discontinued both as essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act. The Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry had urged the government not to remove some categories of face masks and hand sanitsers from the essential commodities list. In a letter written to the Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), the Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry (AIMeD) had suggested that in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country, two and three-ply grade face masks should continue to be an essential commodity for at least another six months. AIMeD, however, had sought a review regarding sanitisers.
Ms. Dipali Mathur Dayal, Co-Founder, Super Smelly (India’s only 100 toxin – free personal care brand for Gen Z) has welcomed the decision and said-“Now, with this new ruling of sanitisers and hand rubs out of the essential commodity list, we now have a chance not just to keep supplying it locally but also export to meet the global demand and leave a mark with our world-class products that are made in India. Having an upper edge of getting our products produced locally, our competitive prices yet internationally certified hand rub has the capability to compete with the best brands in the world, and help boost our economy.“
He adds “When the global pandemic hit, there was a global shortage of hygiene products across online as well as offline channels and platforms. To bridge this gap, we decided to channelize our resources into providing a non-harsh, toxin-free, and India’s only Safe Cosmetics Australia ‘Made Safe’ certified hand rub that is not only compliant with WHO guidelines but also benchmarked against international standards. But since hand rubs and sanitisers were an essential commodity, we couldn’t fulfill our global orders, and it deemed fit first to bridge the demand-supply gap of our country.
According to Mr. Himanshu Bindal, Founder, Biosup Healthcare Private Limited (a pioneer in the area of pharmaceutical and surgical products) changes in the policy will have no impact on the sales or pricing. He says- “The demand for face masks and hand sanitizers has been high since the first phase of lockdown was announced. However, it skyrocketed last month, as India ventured into the unlock phase. After the recent change in the essential commodities act, removal of masks and sanitisers, we are not anticipating any considerable hikes in the number of sales as a lot of supply has been added in the market for both masks and hand sanitizers. This has also put pressure on the sales team for any brand to sell the products as the market for these goods has been down already. Hence, we expect no increase in the pricing of both of these products.”
