Editor,
In Arunachal Pradesh, Pepsi is not just a soft drink – it’s an economics lesson. While most of India buys it at Rs 90, here it is confidently chilling at Rs 100 – without explanation, justification, or even a polite apology. It’s as if inflation here took a shortcut through the hills and decided to stay.
Based on distributor estimates and retail movement, around 35-45 lakh bottles of Pepsi are sold annually in Arunachal. Now comes simple maths. Rs 10 extra x 35-45 lakh bottles = Rs 3.5 to Rs 4.5 crore every year.
That’s not a scam. That’s not a scam accusation either. That’s just arithmetic, quietly sipping Pepsi.
This extra Rs 10 per bottle doesn’t neatly show up as tax, surcharge, or ‘special mountain logistics fee’. It simply exists, collected in cash, bottle after bottle. One could say that Arunachal has discovered a unique financial instrument: micro-black money, generated one sip at a time.
India’s inflation rate currently hovers around 5-6%. Pepsi inflation in Arunachal? 11.1% – from Rs 90 to Rs 100.
That’s impressive! Few mutual funds manage that kind of annual return. Unfortunately, it’s paid by students, daily wage earners, and people who just want a cold drink, not an economics lesson.
The administration, meanwhile, has mastered the art of peaceful silence. No clarification. No explanation. Just trust that the Rs 10 knows where it’s going.
Ironically, small shopkeepers aren’t celebrating. Most of the extra money disappears somewhere between wholesalers, transport costs, and unofficial markups. Retailers still juggle rising rents, power bills, and customers hunting for Rs 10 change.
If Rs 100 is justified, great – say so. Better yet, negotiate smarter with wholesalers, protect small retailers, and maybe, just maybe, let consumers stop wondering if they’re paying for soda or a magic trick.
Pepsi is not alone. Other cold drinks, meats, and many everyday products here treat ‘maximum retail price’ as a polite suggestion, like a traffic sign you can ignore if no cops are around.
Should Pepsi be Rs 100 in Arunachal? Maybe. Logistics are real. But when Rs 10 quietly turns into Rs 4 crore, people deserve at least a reason, if not a discount.
Anonymous