Watching the impoverished people of Wano Country grab ham sandwiches and immediately start wolfing them down nearby, Sabo once again understood why Leo had said that economic development was the foremost priority.
The Revolutionary Army did not lack food.
In fact, once industrialized production began appearing on islands under Revolutionary Army control, artificially farmed islands like Jurassic Island could provide enormous quantities of meat for the entire Revolutionary Army every day.
Meanwhile, rainfall in the Alabasta Kingdom had gradually begun restoring life to the region, making the local land fertile once more.
In truth, the price of crops, especially staple grains, was not always better when higher, nor was it always better when lower.
As the saying went, cheap grain harmed farmers, while expensive grain harmed the people.
Farmers and commoners were not always on the same side.
Achieving a balance required the intervention of a powerful government to make adjustments.
If the market were truly left to regulate itself, farmers driven down by excessively cheap grain prices would plant other crops the following year.
Then, the price increases caused by a shortage of grain would certainly bring terrifying turmoil to society.
In Leo's former world, his government generally used methods such as farmer subsidies and purchasing grain at fixed prices, buying farmers' grain a year in advance. Of course, rising market prices often led farmers to break their agreements.
But clearly, no one would abandon a policy because of a few people breaking their agreements. More importantly, the policy drew attacks from foreign public opinion—claims that New Oriental was subsidizing farmers and interfering with the free market, and so on.
Yet if they opened their eyes and took a good look at the outside world, they would find that the other side's private capital had already formed multinational trusts