.. but you know, I did. Here as a matter of fact. It turns out that prices of wheat have continued to rise despite the fact that the government has fixed the price. Not only that, but the government, who is selling wheat for well below the going rate, has run out of it in some areas. The places that have not have very long lines for the wheat. The upshot? Dealers are charging, and getting a much higher price, sometimes twice the government’s price… Surprise surprise. You mean that prices can’t be arbitrarily set without consequences?
But wait, there’s hope! The cabinet has amended a law and now allows foreign companies to import food directly into Yemen! This goes along with another change that they made 3 or 4 months ago allowing a company not owned by a Yemeni to operate within Yemen. Imagine! This is huge, and while it won’t help Yemen this Ramadan, it surely will next time around. Of course there are people that caution that the foreign companies will monopolize the food market and may be put local companies out of business. We’ll ignore their probable monetary interest and lack of evidence from around the world (concerning the negative impact of a foreign monopoly) and point out the obvious. If all the local companies did was to collude and artificially inflate the prices to consumers, why would you want to protect them? The editor of the Yemen Times said as much in their op-ed, it’s good to see some common sense starting to spread. 2 months ago, you never heard of anyone talking about free trade, and now the promise of it has arrived, Hamdillila!