JITA – THE FORGE. After what was a week of low-keyed grumbling about “increased commodity prices” and “logistic nightmares” from the pod pilot community, the bustling Niyabainen – Jita – Sobaseki hub at the heart of the Caldari state seems busier than ever.
“Can’t help but expect that next time the CEP decides such a major logistic revamping we get informed in advance”, said Oikanen Hilo, ship manufacturer at Kisogo “yet it does seem some of the changes may have a positive impact on business. Although commodities have gone slightly up this week, it has been clearly offset by the increase of traffic on the Niya – Soba route and systems nearby.”
Module trader Hurozi Aikken from Isaziwa had no unclear position on the matter: “Yulai was killing us. Cheap imports from Minmatar space were sweeping our profit margins under the sewer. I’m all for free markets and competition, but products sold below mineral prices and with technology “borrowed” from other Empires is clearly not what free markets are about. Something had to be done, and it was done indeed. Although we are no match to the Jita corridor, we expect an increase of traffic here at The Citadel too.”
To whether or not this may hurt Caldari exports, Mr. Aikken was also positive: “On the contrary, the Caldari State should benefit the most. We are unrivalled in high-tech products, which are the least affected by freight cost due to their low volume and high value. And when it comes to commodities… you only have to see which Freighter has the biggest capacity to notice that this move was anything but sloppy”.
Will Jita be the new Yulai? “Time will tell”, said Mohitie Amon, Advanced Trade professor at STI in Dantumi, “yet one thing is clear: regardless of other reasons, each Empire is trying to protect their internal markets. Military might means little if you do not have the economic power to back it up.
Any Economy student knows that the ideal of a healthy economy is to focus on products with high added value, while at the same having access to cheap raw materials. With the new routes and by licensing Freighter technology to freelance pod-pilots, each Empire will assure that the flow of industrial commodities into their hubs will not be interrupted, while at the same time encouraging the consumer to prefer locally produced finished goods.
In this new scenario, it is highly unlikely that any one system will hoarde most of the traffic and regions will compete with different products. Pator has an interesting chance of attracting pod-pilots interested in cheap, low-tech solutions to their ship’s configuration, and there is no doubt that Oursulaert will attract those interested in good taste and style, as it always has. Yet when it comes to innovative, bleeding edge technologies I would put my Isk and my shop not far from Jita.”