This is just a ploy to add more raw resources to the game to reduce current prices on the market, and thereby make manufacturing resources cheaper to buy from the market to the benefit of whale nations, who usually run at a deficit for creating manufactured. Even possibly nerfing the raw market all together with Whales (the main consumer of materials) not needing them at all as they become self sustainable, with more improvements to use on resources (as whales have high infra) . It's not a whale game, the market will repair itself over time when new players join adding more raw resources. Which is to their benefit if they are selling at a higher price, giving new players more of an incentive to use the market to sell surplus goods.