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

Fang Yi quickly went to handle the matter. After Lin Bingkun sat down, he said, "The county has given us an extra 3 mu of dry land. This is a temporary lease. We still need to negotiate a long-term contract."

"Okay! That's good. Mr. Lin, these are turbulent times, so please keep an eye on agricultural production."

Fang Wei chatted with the other party for more than half an hour, then Lin Bingkun got up to say goodbye and went to the breeding center.

He then called Wang Lin and briefly explained the issue of the Monsanto soybean seeds.

This matter immediately caught Wang Lin's attention. He said that after reading the report from the Yaoling Agricultural Breeding Research Institute, he would report the matter to his superiors in a timely manner.

Regarding the issue of genetically modified soybean seeds, Fang Wei did not take the route of whistleblowing, but instead reported it through the normal procedures, which was actually faster.

The purpose of reporting information is merely to inform relevant departments and leaders, and to serve as a reference.

Reporting is a different matter altogether, as it requires stricter evidence.

Time is the most precious thing now. If the relevant authorities can intervene appropriately before spring planting, they can definitely reduce a lot of losses.

Ultimately, however, in this sudden soybean crisis, strength is the only true measure of success, and what Fang Wei did could not play a fundamental role.

Time flies.

Spring planting season is just around the corner.

Spring arrives earlier in the south, so spring sowing also begins earlier. Spring sowing in the north is a little later, and most soybean growers are concentrated in the north, so although they haven't started spring sowing yet, they have already begun preparations.

Monsanto distributed free genetically modified soybean seeds in advance.

This time it wasn't a small-scale operation, but a large-scale distribution, with countless genetically modified soybean seeds entering the hands of growers.

Despite numerous rumors that planting these soybeans damages the soil and that it takes a year for the soil to recover after one crop, many people simply don't believe them, thinking they are just rumors fabricated by competitors out of jealousy of Monsanto.

Of course, some cautious growers felt that distributing seeds for free seemed suspicious. These people didn't try to take advantage of the situation and planned to wait until others had planted a season of genetically modified soybeans before making a decision.

In addition, there are loyal customers of Yaoling Agriculture who have been planting [Nan Dou 336] soybeans and are now looking forward to the market launch of [Nan Dou 339] soybean seeds.

Unfortunately, Yaoling Agriculture doesn't have much stock of [Nan Dou 339], and there aren't many seeds produced using greenhouses either.

Almost all of these seeds went to Northeast China, specifically to several state-owned farms that had long-term partnerships with Yaoling Agriculture. These farms were easily persuaded, as they themselves would not have accepted Monsanto's free seeds.

At this time, Fang Wei took a train from Chenzhou to the capital.

The meeting had a tight schedule, and Fang Wei quickly raised a proposal on the "soybean crisis" during the group discussion.

He believes that international giants such as Monsanto have ulterior motives, on the one hand destroying the domestic soybean market structure, and on the other hand intending to seize huge profits by controlling the market.

These remarks immediately caused an uproar at the meeting.

However, at this level, there are still many insightful people. Many agreed with Fang Wei's judgment, believing that the "soybean crisis" must be taken seriously, otherwise it would truly affect the security of grain and oil.

Of course, some people think he is exaggerating. They believe in free market economics and think that there is an invisible hand in the market that will spontaneously correct itself at a certain stage.

At this point, Fang Wei's mission was complete.

He is merely the one who raises the question; once the issue is brought up, all he can do is wait for someone to solve it.

After the meeting, he visited his niece's family and then went to the Crop Research Institute.

night.

He invited Sun Shili out for dinner, and the two chatted for a long time.

Testing of the genetically modified seeds in Monsanto has been very difficult, with technical barriers present, which is probably why they are so brazenly distributing free seeds.

"In reality, even if the other side didn't use such insidious tactics, domestic soybean farmers would still find it difficult to cope. North America has superior climate and geographical conditions, and the Great Plains are very suitable for mechanized operations, which naturally reduces costs significantly."

Sun Shili sighed. The Institute of Crop Science and the Institute of Research have also invested heavily in genetic engineering technology in recent years, but they still cannot compare with these international giants.

Starting from scratch, gritting your teeth to keep up, and then overtaking, it's really not easy; you don't even have enough basic experience.

"Of course, it's not that pessimistic. I really didn't expect you to actually come up with [Nan Dou 339]. Judging from the data, [Nan Dou 339] performs no worse than Monsanto's genetically modified soybeans, and is even slightly better."

However, our country lacks arable land, and agriculture is mainly based on small-scale farming, making the planting costs incomparable. Therefore, this fierce battle will be very difficult for everyone in the coming years.

Sun Shili and Fang Wei clinked glasses, and then continued.

In short, China is currently at a disadvantage in the soybean market, but it is not without the ability to fight back; it's just that the struggle is quite tough.

Fang Wei pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

In the previous generation, China also experienced a soybean crisis, and it took more than 20 years to completely turn the situation around.

Because of his existence in this life, at least in terms of soybean seeds, we haven't fallen behind the other side. But other conditions are still the same, and we don't know how many years this crisis will last. "Director Sun, the genetically modified soybean seeds from Monsanto still need to be tested. Even if we can't use them now, they will be useful in the future."

Changing the subject, Fang Wei brought up the matter of seed testing again.

If evidence could be obtained, the planting of Monsanto's genetically modified soybean seeds could be banned before spring planting. Unfortunately, so many organizations failed to accomplish this task and could only watch helplessly as it unfolded.

However, seed testing must continue. This is a valuable technical practice, and the evidence we gather will remain useful in the future.

"no problem."

The two ate, drank, and chatted until after 10 p.m. before parting ways.

the next day.

Fang Wei then took the train back to the village.

Next, he and Yang Feng began their inspection tour. After inspecting each unit, the two went out to investigate the soybean planting situation in various places this year.

The situation is not optimistic. A large number of growers have received free seeds from Monsanto. According to statistics, the combined planting rate of [Nan Dou 336] and [Nan Dou 339] is less than 20%.

This season will still focus on [Nan Dou 336], and it will only be fully replaced by [Nan Dou 339] in the next season.

Currently, Yaoling Agriculture is cultivating nearly 10 mu of the [Nan Dou 339] variety, which will be able to supply the domestic market in large quantities once it matures.

However, those farmers who planted Monsanto genetically modified soybean seeds can forget about it this year, because their land may not be able to be replanted with crops until next year.

This is the price of being greedy for small gains.

After the inspection, Fang Wei and Yang Feng returned to the commune.

At this time, Sister A and Pan Lianhua had already gone to Shenzhen to take care of Xiaojie closer to home. Xiaojie continued to work after becoming pregnant and needed someone to take care of her daily needs.

Fang Wei is easy to talk to. She can eat in the cafeteria and occasionally go to her older brother's house for a meal.

morning.

Fang Wei convened a meeting at the commune to summarize this year's spring planting work.

Besides spring planting, cooking oil was also a major topic. Yu Hao made a special trip to attend the meeting to introduce this year's cooking oil market situation and also presented the sales company's annual plan.

"Currently, our rapeseed oil sales rank first in the domestic market, corn oil sales are steadily increasing, and sales of other products such as peanut oil and tea oil are relatively stable."

Since the giants' ambition to completely control the market failed, their influence over edible oils has diminished considerably. However, they still hold an advantage in soybean and corn oils, so they cannot afford to be complacent.

Yu Hao succinctly explained the current state of the edible oil market. Overall, Yaoling Group has already established a solid foundation in the industry and is fully capable of competing with the giants.

Under these circumstances, Liang Wenhui and his company weathered the most difficult time and also seized a portion of the market share.

Domestic edible oil manufacturers that survived can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but the upcoming soybean crisis will severely impact a number of grain and oil companies.

Currently, the strategy of giants like Monsanto is to dump their products at low prices. They are targeting domestic soybean growers first, and then domestic grain and oil companies.

Some companies that use soybeans as raw materials are actually thriving at this time, as the price of raw materials has dropped significantly and their profits have increased.

But I believe that it won't be long before they experience the pain of being dependent on others for raw materials.

After Yu Hao finished speaking, Fang Yi went on to talk about the oilseed crop planting situation in Yaoling Agriculture.

"I am still relatively optimistic. Our edible oil raw materials are completely self-sufficient, and there is still room for cost reduction."

Yaoling Agriculture's planting costs are very low, making it comparable to those of international giants.

This is unique in China; the planting costs for other agricultural enterprises are much higher than those of Yaoling Agriculture.

Subsequently, Zhang Chu, Lin Bingkun, Lu Zhiwen, and others all spoke.

The meeting was well-attended; apart from Hu Linwei, who was stationed at the group company, almost all the relevant personnel were present.

"Secretary, the cost of soybean cultivation in China is currently much higher than in North America. Could Yaoling Agriculture start cultivating soybeans?"

All the issues that needed to be discussed have been addressed, and the topic has returned to the soybean crisis.

Lin Bingkun asked a question after Fang Wei and Yang Gengang returned from their inspection.

"It's difficult! On the one hand, the pattern of major soybean producing areas has already been established, and we won't be able to acquire much land if we rashly intervene. On the other hand, our country has relatively little arable land, and we must first ensure the security of staple food, so it's unrealistic to continue expanding the soybean planting area."

Fang Wei shook her head, looking helpless. (End of Chapter)