A minimum legal price established by a governing body, below which exchange is prohibited, represents a specific type of market intervention. For instance, legislation could dictate the lowest permissible price for a particular agricultural product, such as milk, aiming to support farmers’ incomes.
Such interventions are often implemented to safeguard producers from market volatility and ensure a basic level of profitability. Historically, these measures have been used during periods of economic hardship or overproduction to stabilize specific sectors. The intention is to prevent prices from falling to levels that could cause significant economic distress to those operating within the targeted industry.