Country Y uses its scarce foreign-exchange reserves to buy scrap iron for recycling into steel；Although the steel thus produced earns more foreign exchange than it costs, that policy is foolish；Country Y's own territory has vast deposits of iron ore, which can be mined with minimal expenditure of foreign exchange.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for Country Y's policy of buying scrap iron abroad?

【选项】Country Y, s foreign-exchange reserves dropped significantly in 1987.