Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

"The impact is quite significant. It seems that the strength of Qinghe County Chili Sauce Factory should not be underestimated."

Fang Wei received a report from the food company showing a significant decline in sales of Yaoling chili sauce, which was undoubtedly related to the increased efforts of competitors.

There are also seasonal reasons.

He then had someone bring over the products from the Qinghe County Chili Sauce Factory; these samples were also collected by the food company.

The other party didn't have many product varieties, currently only four types, which he tasted one by one.

If he were to give his opinion, he could only say that the product quality was acceptable, with no obvious flaws or highlights, and the taste was no different from mass-produced products on the market.

The raw materials included Yaoling chili peppers and some ordinary, inexpensive chili peppers.

Costs were saved, but everything seemed mediocre.

Fang Wei wasn't sure what the other party was thinking, but he was certain of one thing: once the advertising effect diminished, the other party's product sales would definitely experience a rapid decline.

The question is, can the Qinghe County chili sauce factory keep burning through money like this?

Thinking of this, he picked up the phone and called Zhang Chu.

"Old Zhang, I think Qinghe County Chili Sauce Factory is just like Cheng Yaojin's three-pronged attack; there's nothing to be afraid of. Their product quality is far inferior to Yaoling Chili Sauce. Their sales are booming right now because they just hit the market, but that's entirely due to advertising."

The problem is, how much money do they have to invest in advertising? I don't think it's sustainable. So, our strategy is to remain consistent and adjust our advertising strategy accordingly, without engaging in a money-burning competition with them.

Fang Wei shared his thoughts with Zhang Chu, who repeatedly agreed.

It's wise for Yaoling Chili Sauce to adopt a defensive strategy right now; there's no need to rush into a fierce battle with competitors. The chili sauce factory's products have been on the market for many years, with a portion of export orders, and they already have a loyal following.

As long as we can maintain our current market gains, that will be a victory.

The two talked for about an hour before ending the call.

A few days passed quickly.

Various units began transplanting rice seedlings. As the saying goes, "A year's plan starts in spring," and the spring planting work was successfully completed.

Fang Wei visited the Yangshan rice planting base and the Chenzhou rice planting base these days. After returning, he also took time to check on the production situation of the chili pepper planting base in Xiangyang Town.

Various types of chili peppers have already started to sprout, and they will be ready for harvest after May.

It seemed that there was no problem with the raw material supply for the chili sauce factory, and he finally felt relieved.

Spring planting and summer harvest, all that's left is to strengthen field management and wait for summer to arrive.

evening.

When Fang Wei returned home, his family was waiting for him to have dinner.

"Lotus, you guys eat first, no need to wait for me."

He was delayed in Xiangyang Town today, so he returned a little later.

Pan Lianhua, her sister, and Sun Daoren were all waiting for him. Usually, they would only start eating after everyone had returned.

"I didn't have to wait long before I went to cook the vegetables."

The older sister got up and went to the kitchen. In no time, four dishes and a soup were served.

Fang Wei still prefers to eat at home and rarely eats out, since he has become accustomed to the taste of his older sister and wife's cooking.

"Third Brother, the factory is facing a shortage of raw materials recently. Timber prices have risen sharply this year, and the supply is unstable. The forestry brigade only has a limited number of logging quotas each year, so we have to purchase from more places."

During the meal, Pan Lianhua suddenly brought up things at the factory.

She rarely talks about work at home, so it seems she's been under a lot of work pressure lately.

"We should expand our procurement channels. Also, you and I will go to the Forestry Bureau tomorrow to try and secure more logging quotas."

This situation did not surprise Fang Wei. This was nothing compared to what was to come. Environmental policies would become increasingly stringent in the future, and soon furniture factories would all be using materials such as compressed boards and plywood, further shrinking the market for solid wood furniture.

However, the furniture company has always focused on solid wood furniture and bamboo products, and has no plans to change that for the time being.

The forestry brigade has achieved remarkable results in recent years, with large areas of forest on the mountains, but logging is subject to logging quotas. The county forestry bureau has always been quite strict in this regard, and Fang Wei plans to talk to them about it.

"Okay, the company's purchasing agent has already gone to the Greater Khingan Mountains. Hopefully, they'll get something out of there."

Pan Lianhua nodded. The company and factory had already taken countermeasures. The purchasing agent went to the main timber products area and planned to be stationed there to ship the goods.

Actually, the current situation is still relatively good. In a few years, major timber-producing areas across the country will successively issue orders to ban logging, and at that time, we will only be able to import raw materials from abroad.

Artificially planted trees are not subject to the ban, but permits must be obtained before they can be felled.

the next day.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua went to the Forestry Bureau and met with Director Chen.

After stating his demands, Director Chen seemed troubled and then said in a low voice, "This wouldn't normally be a big deal, but the regional forestry bureau has requested that your new logging quotas be frozen, which is difficult for me to handle."

"On what grounds do they freeze our new quotas?"

Pan Lianhua was furious upon hearing this. Director Chen seemed somewhat guilty, stammering for a long time without managing to explain himself. Fang Wei patted his wife's arm, signaling her to calm down.

"Director Chen, I understand your predicament, but understanding is one thing, we still need to file a complaint."

The two then got up and left the office, leaving Director Chen somewhat helpless.

He can't afford to offend either side; if he tries to do things his way through, he might end up pleasing neither side.

"Third Brother, is this because of that guy surnamed Huang, he's making things difficult for us?"

Pan Lianhua wasn't stupid; she immediately thought of Huang Keli.

"Of course it is. Who else could it be but him? But we can't point the finger at the other party yet. We can only deal with the matter at hand. I'll have them go to the regional forestry bureau later."

Fang Wei knew perfectly well that Huang Keli was behind this. That man was very vengeful, and although he had been taught a lesson before, he was probably still unwilling to give up.

He planned to send someone to the regional forestry bureau to continue handling this matter, and if that failed, he would then go to the provincial level.

In short, this matter cannot be left unresolved; we are not afraid to take it to any place.

"Yes, yes, we will report the problem level by level. I refuse to believe that we cannot get justice."

Pan Lianhua supported the man's actions, and the two then went to find Luo Zhimin.

Luo Zhimin was also furious after hearing this, and he immediately called Director Chen to his office.

"Just tell me if giving Secretary Fang and his team some additional quotas violates policy. If it doesn't, approve it immediately. You need to understand, you're from Xinlin County, not the regional forestry bureau."

Luo Zhimin lost his temper on the spot. Director Chen dared to make excuses in front of Fang Wei, but he wouldn't dare to do that in front of Luo Zhimin.

So Director Chen gritted his teeth and gave the forestry brigade an additional 20% logging quota.

This slight increase is better than nothing; according to Fang Wei, it needs to increase by at least 50%. The forests under the jurisdiction of the forestry brigade are lush and green everywhere, with mature trees plentiful, which can be replanted even after being cut down.

"Secretary Fang, I approved this under pressure, can you just shut up for a bit?"

Director Chen was genuinely afraid, fearing that Fang Wei would continue to press the matter.

"Thank you, Director Chen. However, since the regional forestry bureau is directly interfering in county affairs, I still need to get an explanation from them. But don't worry, this matter won't implicate you."

Fang Wei was not about to let this go. He went downstairs, shook hands with Director Chen, and then got into the car with Pan Lianhua and drove away.

"Third Brother, are you coming home for dinner?"

"Forget it, let's find a place to call my sister and tell her that we'll eat in the county."

The two then went to the restaurant for a meal before returning to the village.

After resting for a while at noon, Fang Wei called Cai Tong and asked him to send someone to the regional forestry bureau to discuss logging quotas.

If the other party denies obstructing the furniture company, that's fine; he can go back to Director Chen and apply for more logging quotas. If they make things difficult, he can file a complaint with the provincial authorities.

Having arranged everything, Fang Wei stopped worrying about the matter and continued to focus on the research of the second-generation high-yield soybean.

He then spent the next few days in the Yao village, working with the breeding team. However, the breeding of the second-generation high-yield soybeans did not go smoothly; mutant strains appeared, but none of them were what he wanted.

"Please be patient and continue cultivating. Once you find a satisfactory plant, please let me know immediately, understand?"

"understand!"

This job requires not only patience, but also luck.

So Fang Wei didn't take it seriously, gave the breeding team members a brief explanation, and then went down the mountain.

Developing a second generation of high-yield soybeans is not urgent; it's more of a technological reserve. All he can do is try to cultivate high-quality seeds, but that doesn't actually help much with the soybean problem.

The domestic soybean supply will become increasingly tight, mainly due to insufficient land.

Limited land should be prioritized for the cultivation of staple crops. Only when staple crops can basically meet domestic consumption can we talk about food security.

Of course, if soybean varieties can be continuously updated and improved to significantly increase yields, it will still benefit the soybean supply.

Fang Wei drove off the mountain road and went directly to Sun Daoren's clinic.

The clinic was crowded with patients, and long queues formed.

Sun Daoren and the doctors at the clinic were both busy, so Fang Wei didn't disturb their work. After taking a quick look around, he prepared to leave.

"Secretary Fang, are you looking for Old Sun?"

Just then, Zhao Baocheng came out of the restroom, saw Fang Wei, and went up to greet her.

Zhao Baocheng used to be the team's barefoot doctor. After the clinic was disbanded, he went to help out at the clinic. After so many years of practice, although he wasn't a famous doctor, he was quite adept at treating common minor illnesses.

"Don't bother him. I just came to check on him. You guys are busy."

Fang Wei smiled, waved, and then got into his car and drove away. (End of Chapter)