Verified Viriette: Trouble brewing for Duureanta’s khuska cartel?
Duureanta, Harroule IV - A spike in Duureanta’s closely held khuska refining licences may indicate a shift in domestic politics or a challenge to the market dominance of the incumbent and locally-backed licensees.
Until recently, the Center of Advanced Studies’ Agoze Campus and an affiliate of the Ishuk-Raata Enforcement Directive have been the only non-local entities to hold licences to refine khuska oil, a product from the seeds of the khuska plant, also known as Harroule Dryweed.
The Duureanta Narcotics Task Force has been rocked by corruption allegations in recent years, however, leaving it vulnerable to an advocacy campaign by local doctor, Mossaf Rumaita, as covered recently by ZANIE.
Perhaps as a result, DNTF recently announced that it has approved licence applications from two big biotech players (Poteque Pharmaceuticals and X-Sense) and two independents (Huma-Hene PSF and Chatelain Biopharma).
DNTF Chief Inspector Rafael Cezanne commented, “All licences require a high degree of local employment as well as investment in local research and development. We expect the new licensees will help open up this critical sector of our economy to fresh approaches that will move Duureanta further up the resource value chain and so protect it from exploitation by more unscrupulous elements.”
Many vested local interests are understandably outraged. One source, who wished to remain anonymous said, “Everyone knows the Task Force is crooked, even though they could not make the charges stick to Vasumati,” referring to the controversial acquittal of M. Cezanne’s predecessor on charges of corruption, “Well now, with that fool Rumaita’s help, they’ve finally succeeded in selling us local producers out!”
Dr. Rumaita was unavailable for comment and is understood to be visiting his estranged wife.
It remains to be seen how these reforms will affect the local economy or the often over-looked Duureanta’s relationships with its neighbours.
