| Coruscant_Journal | Date: Friday, 04 April 14, 8:17 PM | Message # 1 |
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Baobab Ships Sighted in Druckenwell Ports
Il Ivali, Druckenwell — Freighters from the Baobab Merchant Fleet, a competitor of the Trade Federation, have been sighted in ports on the Trade Federation planet of Druckenwell as a result of a trade agreement with the Mandalorian worlds. The Coruscant Journal has learned that the agreement, in which Baobab merchant vessels supply Druckenwell with foodstuffs from Mandalorian Space, was negotiated by Senator Ryuun (Druckenwell) and Ambassador Vanden (Mandalore) without the knowledge or consent of the Trade Federation.
In an interview with the Sundari Times earlier this week, Mr. Vanden, the Duke of "New" Mandalore and Ambassador of Mandalorian Space in the Senate, announced the deal in which bulk shipments of Mandalorian foodstuffs are sold to Druckenwell at a discount, in return for a waiver of Druckenwell's tariffs on such shipments. The Baobab Merchant Fleet, not the Trade Federation, is retained to ship the goods from neutral Mandalorian Space to Druckenwell.
"This deal was a result of productive negotiations with Senator Ryuun on behalf of Druckenwell's government," Mr. Vanden was quoted as saying. Asked whether the Trade Federation was aware of these negotiations, Vanden added that "[Mr. Ryuun] insisted that he was his own man, that Druckenwell was its own world, and that I was negotiating only with him and not the Trade Federation."
"If more Republic worlds stood up to the monopolistic tactics of the Trade Federation, membership in the Republic would be more appealing to neutral worlds such as Mandalore," Vanden added.
Trade Federation worlds are typically entitled to discounts on Federation shipping in exchange for exclusivity. The presence of a competitor's ships on Druckenwell is seen as an embarassment for the Trade Federation and a challenge to its business model. However, in an exclusive interview with The Coruscant Journal, Prentiss Cynum, the Representative of the Trade Federation in the Senate, sought to downplay the deal. "The Trade Federation [wishes] the best to the Baobab Merchant Fleet for their tireless hauling of such low value-mass cargo," he said.
Mr. Cynum also hinted at consequences for Druckenwell, however, adding that "the Trade Federation guarantees it will protect the rights of its consumers on Druckenwell to buy Republic-grown [foodstuffs]."
"It's remarkable how [Druckenwell] would rather pay more for non-Republic food shipped by non-Republic companies than it would otherwise," Mr. Cynum told the Journal, "The Trade Federation imports millions of tons of diverse foodstuffs to the Druckenwell market, [with] the quality and cheaper price, larger selection, and consistency of supply you can only get from our Republic's hard-working agriworlds."
The Baobab Merchant Fleet saw an increase in share prices in today's trading on Coruscant. Analysts with the Coruscant branch of the Bank of Aargau expected food prices to decline marginally on Druckenwell with an equivalent loss of government revenue, though the Republic's Trade Council disagreed with this assessment, insisting that "the prices would be significantly higher and not offer good value for Druckenwell customers." Which of these is the case, and what action the Trade Federation may take in response to the deal, remains to be seen. The Coruscant Journal will continue to follow the story as it develops.
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