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

Diversifying imports could offer an alternative solution to the soybean crisis. However, this involves complex issues of pricing power, and it will take time for it to have a significant impact.

"Method Book, so what do you think we should be facing most at this stage?"

Wang Lin pondered for a moment before asking the question very seriously.

The main reason he invited Fang Wei to the provincial capital for this gathering was for this matter, or rather, for his mission.

Fang Wei had given him excellent opportunities to create, which brought him to the attention of higher authorities.

The authorities are racking their brains to resolve the soybean crisis and are consulting with some high-profile officials, including Wang Lin.

Wang Lin could certainly come up with some solutions, but there was a clear difference between him and someone like Fang Wei, who had personally experienced the incident. He didn't want his suggestions to be rejected by his superiors, so he also intended to consult Fang Wei today.

"I think there is only one goal at this stage, and that is to survive. To ensure that as many farmers as possible survive, and as many grain and oil companies as possible survive, so that the domestic soybean market does not collapse."

Fang Wei's words sounded pessimistic at first glance, but reality is reality, and blind optimism is fatal.

The opponent is formidable, not only in terms of technology but also in its global pricing power. Therefore, from a domestic perspective, simply surviving the opponent's first wave of attacks would be the greatest victory.

There will definitely be a time in the future to launch a counterattack, but it is clearly not possible now.

"Yes, you're right to think that way. Both the theory of quick victory and quick defeat are unacceptable. Come on, everyone, sit up. Let's talk about something lighter from now on, let's not talk about this."

Wang Lin seemed to be deep in thought, then raised his glass and drank with everyone.

The time that followed became relaxed and enjoyable again, with everyone telling jokes and chatting about interesting things until the party ended.

Everyone left the private room, with Fang Wei and Pang Wanxin being the last to leave.

“Secretary Fang, your nephew is still in the countryside doing agricultural technology assistance? Let him come back; someone will take good care of him.”

Pang Wanxin's words were clearly Wang Lin's intention; in fact, he himself couldn't understand them.

Although Fang Wei's nephew has a somewhat strange personality, with Wang Lin's protection, no one dares to do anything to him. Is it necessary for him to hide in the countryside?

"Don't worry about him. Let him do what he wants to do. We'll talk about it when he wants to go back to his unit."

Fang Wei smiled and shook his head. His nephew had a lot of character; as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.

The other party is doing well in Xinlin County and has even produced high-yield sweet potatoes, which also helps farmers increase their income. It is indeed better than sitting in an office or working in the tertiary industry.

When Fang Wei met with his nephew that day, he said that the institute's doors were open and that there would be no problem if the other party needed to use the equipment or have technical exchanges with everyone.

Moreover, Fang Tao is familiar with many people in the research institute, so he shouldn't feel constrained.

"Alright, that's enough for today. We'll talk again later."

Pang Wanxin nodded, then got into his car and drove away.

Fang Wei stayed in his own courtyard for one night, and returned to the village the next day.

He has done his best with the soybean issue, but there's no better solution for now, so it's better to put it aside for the time being.

"Chairman, international soybean prices have recently risen by 20%, a moderate increase, but there seems to be a lot of disagreement in the market about this pricing, and even international giants seem hesitant."

On his first day at work, Yang Feng reported on the soybean situation to him.

Fang Wei nodded without making any comments, but instead asked about the company's recent performance in cooking oil.

Yang Feng explained that the edible oil market has been relatively stable recently. International giants seem to have backed down, giving some domestic edible oil companies a chance to breathe.

Yaoling brand cooking oil performed well, with rapeseed oil standing out, while other varieties also showed slight improvement.

"Assistant Yang, let's leave it at that for now. Keep an eye on things when you have time, and report back to me if there are any unusual developments."

Fang Wei then dismissed Yang Feng and buried himself in official business.

Time flies.

Fang Wei once again flew to the Northwest, where the seawater rice planting base in Xiachu County finally ushered in the harvest day.

When he arrived, the harvest was nearing its end, and Wang Muqi and his team were carefully compiling various data and inspecting the seawater rice.

“Secretary, the seawater rice produced here has a similar yield to that of the mudflats by the sea, averaging 1520 jin per mu, but the taste, flavor and quality have been significantly improved.”

Wang Muqi reported on the basic situation and said that he had already sent the seawater rice to the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences for testing, mainly to determine its nutritional components and trace elements.

We should have the results around next week.

That evening, Wang Muqi had seawater rice cooked and invited Fang Wei to taste it.

"It's excellent. This type of sea rice has a unique fragrance and is rich in nutrients, which are beneficial to the human body. This is the biggest selling point of sea rice, and it can be sold as a health food in the future."

Fang Wei has his own ideas: not to mention the next two years, even in the next five to ten years, seawater rice will still be a scarce commodity.

Scarcity drives up value, and he didn't want to sell the seawater rice cheaply, so future promotions needed to highlight its selling points. Now he was just waiting for the final test report, at which point he could contact the media for a media blitz. He didn't even need to get involved; Secretary Wu and Professor Ma from Xiachu County could handle it.

“Great idea! Health supplements and health foods are selling very well these days. The effects of our seawater rice are real and tangible, and it should be accepted by consumers.”

Wang Muqi suddenly had a breakthrough in his thinking, and immediately got up to get paper and pen to write down these ideas.

The next day.

Fang Wei inspected the various facilities at the base and offered some suggestions for improvement.

Overall, the base construction is quite good, with only some details that are not up to par. A little rectification will solve all the problems.

Next, he sat in the room and carefully reviewed the planting records, extracting various data points for detailed research. Having little prior experience, he approached his learning and research with humility.

A few days passed quickly.

The test report from the local provincial academy of agricultural sciences arrived. Fang Wei read it carefully several times after receiving it and couldn't help but smile.

Seawater rice is indeed rich in various secondary nutrients and trace elements, which does not need to be proven again, as long as there is no false advertising.

He then called Yu Hao, asked the sales company to act as a sales agent, and explained his marketing plan.

"Senior, your plan is excellent. It seems you are indeed a marketing expert. Here's what we'll do: I can act as your sales agent, but you can only pay half upfront. The rest will be settled after the goods are sold out."

Yu Hao had no problem with the funds, but the company's rules and regulations were very strict, so he didn't dare to do anything reckless.

If anyone is to blame, it's Fang Wei. After all, he was the one who initially established these systems, and they were gradually improved, so there are basically no loopholes.

"Okay, let's do it that way."

Fang Wei knew perfectly well that this was the case, and it was impossible for him to make excessive demands.

The seawater rice product does not currently belong to the company; it is a product of his collaboration with Professor Ma and Professor Lin. It is correct to keep public and private matters separate.

He then personally went to the provincial capital to order a batch of high-end gift boxes and some more ordinary packaging. The other party agreed to work overtime to produce them, and they could be shipped to Xiachu County soon.

Once the packaging is in place, the rice can be shipped in batches, and the sales company will help with the sales of the seawater rice.

Next, Fang Wei collected soil samples and sent them for testing.

The test results exceeded his expectations; the soil salinization level decreased significantly, and based on the current trend, it will be possible to plant some common crops with good salt and alkali tolerance in at most two years.

For example, the salt tolerance threshold for cotton is 0.7%, and there is absolutely no problem growing cotton in the current soil conditions.

"Secretary, is seawater rice really that amazing? The soil salinity dropped to around 0.6% all at once?"

Wang Muqi and the others were a bit dumbfounded. Wasn't this effect a bit too good?

It's worth noting that the critical value for many salt-tolerant crops can reach 0.06%, meaning that the soil improvement effect was already evident after only one season of planting seawater rice on this saline-alkali land.

So, can we plant more crops next year?

"Let's not think about those things for now. We'll definitely be planting seawater rice again next year. Our goal isn't to seek quick profits, but to thoroughly improve the condition of the soil."

It now appears that seawater rice has exceeded expectations in absorbing soil salinity, so profits will certainly come sooner than anticipated.

Once the soil has been thoroughly improved, winter wheat can be planted in the fall, and cotton and other crops can be planted in the spring, resulting in a significant increase in economic benefits.

However, Fang Wei had more important things to do at the moment and didn't have time to talk to the other party for too long.

He then went out and drove his pickup truck to the county town.

“Secretary Wu, I would like to contract another 10,000 mu of saline-alkali land. Our seawater rice planting this season was very successful, so we plan to expand the planting scale and try to breed it locally.”

Fang Wei arrived at Wu Jiang's office, where the other party was already waiting for him, having called in advance.

After he came in and sat down, he didn't waste any time and went straight to the point.

"Expanding the planting area? That's certainly a good thing. But are you confident? Especially with breeding, isn't it a bit rushed?"

Wu Jiang naturally hoped that Fang Wei could increase investment, but he had a long-term vision and did not want the other party to take too big a step.

It's better to proceed cautiously and steadily. Failure would definitely affect investor confidence, which is why he offered that advice.

"No problem, I know what I'm doing."

Fang Wei was confident that as long as he could successfully plant it on the first try, all subsequent problems would be eliminated.

He had long ago designated the contracted saline-alkali land as a "planting area." With the added attribute bonus, success once meant countless more successes; failure was absolutely impossible.

"Great! The county will grant you another 20,000 mu of free saline-alkali land, which will be connected to your current land. However, if you want to expand your planting scale in the future, you will have to pay a land lease fee."

Wu Jiang readily agreed, but also laid out the unpleasant aspects upfront. (End of Chapter)