26-02-2023, 01:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 26-02-2023, 01:20 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
Duncan, interestingly, it's the same system of trade (and the incredibly complex matrix of air and sea trade) that spreads higher standards of living most efficiently. For example, it allows farmers in what were once improvised parts of Africa, to find a market for their products (though not unfortunately into the EU where massive tariffs are imposed to protect their overworked farmers). To take just one example, every day around 350 tons of vegetables and cut flowers are flown into the UK from Kenya; this trade employs around 70,000 Kenyans and around 500,000 people in total benefit from the activity. We sometimes forget that it's not just the growers and sellers here who benefit. e.g. one ton of the famous mange tout provides the farmer with £630, the exporter £290, packaging £280, air freight and handling 1040, the importer with £620 and the supermarket with £2500 giving a total input of £5360 - and creating goodness knows how many jobs in the process. Add in all the other stuff that's brought in from such places and relax in the knowledge that, as you delight in eating out-of-season fruit and vegetables, you are supporting far less fortunate people and giving them foreign exchange to spend on importing desirable vintage cars from the West.