The National Grain Trust, commonly abbreviated as NGT or NTZ, is the state-owned enterprise responsible for managing the agricultural output, food security, and grain reserves of the Divine Republic of Kresimiria.
Headquartered in Severnivaraje, the “Breadbasket of the Republic,” the NGT manages millions of hectares of state-owned farmland and holds a statutory monopoly on the management of the “Strategic Food Reserve.” It is one of the pillars of the “Statist-Labor” economic model established in the late 20th century and is tasked with ensuring that the staple food of the nation remains affordable for all citizens.
History
Formation (1989)
In the late 1980s, Kresimiria faced a period of volatile food prices. Private agricultural conglomerates, chiefly Pologradska Agro-Trade (a subsidiary of Maj Holdings), were accused of hoarding grain to artificially inflate prices during dry seasons.
Blue Dawn leader and Chancellor-backed strongman Ljubo Sanjakorin declared food security a matter of national defense. Following the ratification of the 1988 State Enterprise Act, Sanjakorin’s government seized vast tracts of arable land in District VII that had previously been managed by loose collectives or failing minor landowners.
On March 12, 1989, these assets were consolidated into the National Grain Trust. Its charter mandate was simple: “To guarantee the daily bread of the Kresimirian people against the greed of speculators.”
The “State Loaf” Era (1990–2002)
Throughout the 1990s, the NGT implemented the “State Loaf” (Drzavni Kruh) program. The Trust supplied subsidized flour to bakeries across the country, mandating that a standard loaf of bread be sold at a fixed, low price. This policy remained highly popular among the working class and cemented Blue Dawn’s support in rural areas, even as the party’s popularity waned in the cities.
Operations
Land Management
The NGT directly manages approximately 40% of Kresimiria’s arable land, primarily concentrated in the fertile plains of Severnivaraje and parts of Viskogorje. These massive state farms utilize mechanized agriculture to produce wheat, corn, and barley at scale.
The Strategic Reserve
The Trust maintains a network of massive concrete silos throughout the country. By law, the NGT must maintain enough grain in reserve to feed the entire population of the Republic for eighteen months in the event of war or famine.
Rivalry with Maj Holdings
The NGT exists in a state of perpetual commercial warfare with Maj Agro-Trade, the agricultural division of Maj Holdings. While the NGT controls state land, Maj Agro-Trade dominates the private cooperative market and the export trade.
- The Price Wars: The NGT accuses Bran Maj of “starving the Republic” by exporting Kresimirian grain to foreign markets for profit, driving up domestic prices. Maj Holdings counters that the NGT is a “bloated bureaucratic corpse” that depresses farmer wages by flooding the market with subsidized, low-quality grain.
- Logistics Disputes: The rivalry extends to transportation. The NGT exclusively uses Republic Rail to move its product, while Maj utilizes his own trucking fleet. This split often leads to logistical bottlenecks during the harvest season, as the two entities refuse to cooperate or share infrastructure.
Controversies
The “Rotting Silos” Scandal (2005)
In 2005, an investigative report by the Civic Renewal Front revealed that nearly 15,000 tons of wheat in NGT silos near Cetingrad had rotted due to water leaks and poor ventilation. The scandal exposed deep inefficiencies within the state monopoly. It was revealed that NGT managers had falsified inspection reports to cover up the spoilage while collecting performance bonuses.
Political Weaponization
Critics allege that the NGT has been used as a tool of political coercion by the central government. During the tenure of Kristrad Bronstein as leader of the BLF, there have been frequent complaints that NGT flour deliveries to District X are deliberately delayed or reduced during periods of political tension between the Bosken leadership and the Chancellory. The NGT officially attributes these delays to “security concerns” regarding AFIM banditry.