Die Daaglikse Verslag: "Die stem van vryheid"
In Spite of Far-Right Complaints and Fearmongering, Trade is Booming
June 14th, 4221
Above: The Port of Koeistad is once again a booming trade hub for the Nation of Saridan, after the reversal of far-right policies
Ruprekt Zuiderlaand, a dockworker at the seaport of Saridan's capital is a happy man. He smiled when we interviewed him and he laughed about reminisces about the uncertainty of employment during Komittee van die Nasionale Herstel rule. "Its all in the past now," he says to our correspondents. He told our correspondents that during the KvdNH days, many dockworkers were out of jobs due to what was essentially a ban on international trade and on the rare occasion that ports were up and running for domestic cargo transportation, shipping lines were sidelined into providing extremely low prices in order to compete with ground transportation. These factors very detrimentally harmed his pay and his family's standard of living. However now, with Istalia as a major trade partner, and other countries as trade partners, he handles large shipments every day and due to scheduling certainty due to cargo traffic, he is able to take holidays with his family and get his wife and child healthcare. He says he no longer worries much about week to week expenses, and he is now able to save for retirement.
Stories like this are all too common in post-dictatorship Saridan. The country's predominantly agricultural economy, which largely depended upon international payments and deals for cash crops like coffee, tea, and cotton, saw major cutbacks due to the halt in trade. Many farmers had to leave groves of coffee and tea groves untended, while grain prices skyrocketed due to a lack of international competition. However now Saridan has had increased trade due to coffee and tea deals with Istalian firms such as Lerrero S.p.A. (A food, chocolate, and confectionary company in Istalia, Farilla (a food processing company), and San Remigio S.P.A (a soft drink maker), amongst other brands and energy concerns, as well as financial services. Trade income is up nearly 100% since the KvdNH left office, and the standard of living has improved by a significant degree.
As a consequence of improvement in trade, the government has been able to increase the allowances in the budget, and is planning on investing in the navy and port infrastructure prominently, in order to improve Saridan's commercial and military clout in Seleya.