The Central Government has amended the 2011 Vegetable Oil Products Production and Availability (Regulation) Order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Key amendments –

1.In paragraph 2, the following shall be substituted, namely:–

“2. Definitions.-(1) In this order, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. “Act” means the Essential Commodities Act, 1955(10 of1955);
2. “adjudicating officer” means the officer appointed under section 15A of the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 (7 of 2009);
3. “appellate authority” means the appellate authority under section 15B ofthe Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 (7 of 2009);
4. “Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)” means such officer appointed by the Central Government to exercise any or all of the powers under this order;
5. “Directorate” means the Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils;
6. “information schedule” means information schedule as defined in clause (d) of section 2 of the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 (7 of 2009);
7. “nodal officer” means officer as defined in clause (da) of section 2 of the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 (7 of 2009);
8. “producer” means a person or firm or company engaged in the business of producing any vegetable oil product or any solvent-extracted vegetable oil, either in his own factory or in the factory of any other person, acting on his behalf;
9. “registration certificate” means the registration granted to a producer under paragraph 4 of this order.
10. “Schedule” means Schedule annexed to this order;
11. “vegetable oil” means oil produced from oilcake or oilseed or oil-bearing material of plant origin and containing glycerides;

(l) “vegetable oil product” means any vegetable oil in its crude form, or subjected to any process like filtration, centrifugation, refining (including neutralisation, bleaching using bleaching earths and deodorisation), interestrification, hydrogenation, fractionation, winterisation, emulsification with water or any other process notified by the Government from time to time, blended (blends of two or more different types of vegetable oils);

(2) Words and expressions used but not defined in this order and defined in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955) or the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006) or rules or regulations made thereunder, shall have the meanings assigned to them in that Act or rules or regulations, as the case may be, respectively”.

2.In paragraph 3, the following shall be substituted, namely:–

“3.Registration.-(1) A producer who intends to produce, stock for sale or offer for sale vegetable oil, vegetable oil product, solvent extracted oil, shall make an application to the Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils) as specified in Schedule-ɪ and obtain a registration certificate as specified in Schedule-ɪɪ.

(2) The Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)may after making necessary enquiries, as he deems fit, issue the registration certificate, as specified in Schedule-ɪɪ to the applicants or reject the application, for reasons to be recorded in writing”.

3. In paragraph 4 –

(a) the words“,de-oiled meal or edible flour” shall be omitted;

(b) for the word “Clause”, the word “paragraph” shall be substituted.

4. In paragraph 5, for the words, “Chief Director”, the words and brackets “Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)”shall be substituted.
5. In paragraph 6, for the word “Clause”, occurring at both the places, the word “paragraph” shall be substituted
6. In paragraph 8, for the words and brackets “Chief Director”, the words “Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)” shall be substituted.
7. In paragraph 9, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

“9. Every producer shall furnish monthly return by the fifteenth day of the succeeding month to the Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)in respect of-

1. each vegetable oil received and used by the processing unit as raw material and each vegetable oil product manufactured, sold or imported or exported during the past one month in a form specified by the Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils) from time to time;
2. the stocks heldand the quantities and varieties of solvent extracted oil, produced or dispatched by him during the preceding one month;
3. the stocks held and the quantities and varieties of oil-bearing material used during the preceding one month”.

8. In paragraph 10, the following shall be substituted,namely:-

“10. Power to call for information and entry and carry out inspection.- The Director (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils) or nodal officer or any person appointed by them may enter and inspect or cause to enter and inspect any premises, any record relating to the production, supply, distribution, import and export of vegetable oil products including the purchase of raw materials used in their production, vehicles or vessels and seize the stocks of vegetable oil products, in respect of which he has reason to believe that the value of actual production or sale are not commensurate with the returns and the data filed with the Directorate and every producer shall be bound to furnish all such information to the Director, (Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils)”.

9.In paragraph 11, sub-paragraph (2) shall be omitted.

10. In paragraph 12, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

 “12. Compliance of orders. –Every producer to whom any order or direction is issued under any powers conferred by or under this order, shall comply with such order or direction”.

11. SCHEDULE–I has been substituted