Imagine a world where anyone can buy onions from anywhere. Imagine importing it yourself from Pakistan without Mr Sharad Pawar’s permission. Imagine if you can.

These lines were edited out of John Lennon’s song Imagine. In a rush of positive emotions after Lennon read Bastiat, he wrote them. But unfortunately, those days Lennon was not a big fan of capitalism, free trade, and all so he removed them. Later editions of Imagine have specific references to onions, tomatoes and other food items and the effectiveness of free trade. Lennon realised that these were more important than peace itself. Actually he realised that free trade, and free trade in these items, across the border usually brings about peace.

He also realised that instead of dharnas and handcuffing yourself to some political establishment’s gate in protest for peace, or listening to Ms Arundati Roy go on and on about peace and how only her exclusive piece on peace in Outlook can bring about peace …. Lennon realised that peace would come when “goods move across borders, and then armies won’t”. (To paraphrase Bastiat).

Don’t believe me? Read Lennon a Marxist or capitalist?

Food Crisis and Restrictive Trade Practices By Thompson Ayodele sounds very familiar. Same messed up agricultural policies, same bad incentives, bans, restrictions, central planners’ micro management, …..  But this time in Nigeria.