Diet Coke worth Rs 40 is available for Rs 199 on Blinkit, this is the reason?

If you have tried to order Diet Coke on Blinkit, Zepto or other quick commerce platforms in recent times, you must have been shocked to see the price. In India, a 330 ml Diet Coke can which is usually available for Rs 40, is now being sold for up to Rs 199. The biggest reasons for this are the shortage of aluminum cans in the country, increasing dependence on imports and disruptions in the global supply chain. For this reason, imported drinks are now being sold at expensive prices on online platforms.

According to an ET report, the supply of local cans of Diet Coke has been affected in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru for the last few weeks. By mid-April, its supply had almost ended in many places. After this, the entry of imported cans increased in the market. These cans are being sourced from UAE, South-East Asia and other countries and are being sold by different importers on online platforms. On Blinkit, a 330 ml imported Diet Coke can is being sold for Rs 199, while its normal version made in India is available for around Rs 40. Similarly, drinks like Coke Zero Sugar, Pepsi Zero Sugar Lemon and 7 Up Zero Sugar are also being sold between Rs 199 to 209.

Does supply chain have a role in this?

This is not just a matter of brand pricing, but supply chain and import costs play a big role behind it. A large part of the small size aluminum cans used in India is imported. Especially for 300 ml cans, companies depend on Middle-East and South-East Asian countries. The problem has become more serious due to supply disruption in West Asia and increase in aluminum prices globally. The price of aluminum used in making cans has increased by about 50 percent in a year to $ 3,600 per ton. Due to this the cost of imported cans increased significantly.

Industry experts say that the big aluminum can manufacturing companies in India, Ball Beverage Packaging and Canpack, are currently not able to produce as per the demand. For this reason companies have to resort to imported cans. The situation of Diet Coke is a little different from other soft drinks. Common cold drinks are also available in PET bottles or glass bottles, but Diet Coke is mainly sold in cans. This is the reason why the shortage of cans affected this product the most.

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