Every now and then, the commerce ministry notifies aminimum export price (MEP) for certain commodities, to discourage their exports and improve availability in the domestic markets. These are mostly farm products but some steel goods, too, had suffered MEP for a while. MEP is set at a level where few abroad will buy at that price. Some clever exporters, however, find a way to get around stipulation. The method is to invoice at MEP, realise export proceeds at a lower price and then seek write off the shortfall. For example, the MEP for onions is $ 700/ tonne now. Let us say an exporter finds it difficult to sell at the MEP but gets a buyer willing to pay $650/ tonne. It makes commercial sense to him to take up this order. What the exporter does is to accept this order with a specific understanding that he will raise an invoice for $700/ tonne but accepts payment of only $ 650/ tonne. The next step is to ship the goods with all paperwork, including the shipping bill showing a p