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

"All the growers who planted [Nan Dou 339] have made a fortune this season. Although they may not be able to reach the same level of profit as us due to their scale, the difference is not significant, and they are all overjoyed."

According to Director Lu, soybean prices have recovered from their low point and have seen a significant increase.

With the significant increase in farmers' yields and the improvement in oil extraction rates, everyone is able to sell their harvested soybeans at a good price.

"That's good, that's good!"

Fang Wei was very happy. He had been watching soybeans for many years, and wasn't this the moment he was waiting for?

The subsequent inspection tour confirmed what Director Lu had said: all the farmers who planted [Nan Dou 339] achieved excellent economic benefits this season.

This has made international giants somewhat hesitant when it comes to raising soybean prices, so the increase in soybean prices this year has not been significant.

On his way back, he originally planned to visit the Jianghuai base, but a phone call Yang Feng received disrupted his plans.

"Leader Wang from the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture asked you to take some time to go to the provincial capital. He didn't say what it was about, but he hoped you could make the trip as soon as possible."

"Then let's change our route and go see the leader first."

Fang Wei could roughly guess what the other party wanted. Now, after large-scale planting, [Nan Dou 339] had in fact delivered a satisfactory result to all parties.

In this situation, the relevant parties are probably preparing to vigorously promote this soybean variety.

It’s noon this day.

Fang Wei and Yang Feng arrived in the provincial capital by plane, where Wang Lin had arranged for a car to wait for them at the airport.

The two went to the Department of Agriculture together in the car, where Fang Wei met with Wang Lin alone.

"Secretary Fang, congratulations! I heard that your [Nan Dou 339] might win a big prize this year."

Wang Lin frequently traveled to Beijing recently and was very well-informed.

Although he didn't say it with certainty, the matter was basically settled and there was almost no suspense.

Through Monsanto's series of questionable actions, the authorities have realized the importance of soybeans. Although domestic soybean production cannot fully meet demand, the entire market cannot be handed over to others.

If the international giants' conspiracy succeeds, we might not even be able to afford meat anymore.

China's agriculture is still relatively backward overall. Fortunately, there are breeding companies like Yaoling Agriculture, which prevents international giants from controlling the seeds of key crops.

The outstanding performance of 【Nan Dou 339】speaks for itself and has prompted relevant parties to increase their support and promotion efforts.

"Thank you! If I really win the grand prize, I'll buy you a drink."

Fang Wei did not feign modesty; he also felt that he deserved the award.

Wang Lin couldn't help but smile; he actually admired the other person's carefree attitude.

"The government has decided to provide Yaoling Agriculture with a 15 billion yuan interest-subsidized loan, and the largest grain reserve company in China also plans to invest in Yaoling Agriculture. What are your thoughts on this?"

After the small talk, Wang Lin got down to business.

Both things are important. The Agricultural Development Bank's interest-subsidized loan demonstrates the relevant departments' attitude, while the state-owned capital's investment demonstrates the relevant parties' determination to support Yaoling Agriculture.

"I need to go back and discuss these two matters with everyone, so I cannot answer you now."

Fang Wei thought for a moment and gave an ambiguous answer.

Wang Lin didn't take it seriously; this kind of thing wasn't something you could just make on a whim.

"But don't worry, the state-owned capital is only investing, with a shareholding of about 15%, and will not interfere with the company's operation and management."

He then clarified again to avoid the other party overthinking.

night.

Wang Lin called Pang Wanxin and others out for a get-together. There was nothing much going on, just drinking and chatting.

the next day.

Fang Wei went directly to Guangzhou.

He then convened a board meeting, with senior company executives in attendance, to discuss subsidized loans and state-owned capital investment.

“Secretary, these two things are supposed to be good things, but everything has its advantages and disadvantages. After all, the company is not short of funds.”

Cai Tong spoke first, and it was clear that he did not want any funds to be invested in Yaoling Agriculture.

Yaoling Agriculture is the cash cow and the core of the entire group, and he doesn't want outsiders to get involved.

“Secretary, sometimes we can’t just look at the economic benefits; we have to consider other aspects as well. Accepting state-owned capital investment may result in the loss of some profits, but the hidden gains are likely to be much greater.”

Some people disagreed with Cai Tong's opinion, and they put it very bluntly.

Everyone then spoke, and their opinions were clearly divided, with significant disagreements.

"This matter has come as a surprise. Everyone, please think it over carefully and make sure to analyze the pros and cons clearly. We will discuss this issue again in three days. Meeting adjourned now."

Fang Wei did not make a final decision immediately, but gave everyone more time to consider.

To be honest, he was a bit hesitant about this matter and hadn't made a decision in his mind.

in the afternoon.

He went to Shenzhen, first visiting his daughter and grandson, and then invited Qin Sicheng out for dinner that evening. After a few rounds of drinks, he told Qin Sicheng about the choice he was facing.

"If I were you, I would definitely agree. It's such an important matter as breeding, how great is it to have state-owned capital involved? Who would dare to use underhanded methods against Yaoling Agriculture in the future?"

Qin Sicheng didn't think losing 15% of the profits was a big deal, especially since he could make up for it in other ways.

The key point is that the arrangement from above is like giving Yaoling Agriculture a get-out-of-jail-free card. They don't participate in the operation and management, but they can still provide strong support to the company. Why not take advantage of it?

After talking with Qin Sicheng all night, Fang Wei secretly made up her mind.

the next day.

He then returned to Guangzhou.

When the second meeting was held, he still let everyone speak first.

"Secretary, I've thought about it carefully, and I think it's better to accept state-owned investment. Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."

Unexpectedly, Cai Tong was the first to change his attitude and expressed his willingness to accept state-owned capital investment.

Opposing opinions still exist, but the number of people is relatively small.

"That's settled then. I've decided to accept the state-owned capital investment. However, this matter still needs to be reviewed at a shareholders' meeting. Meeting adjourned."

Fang Wei made the final decision, and a board resolution will be formed shortly thereafter.

Because this matter involves the rights and interests of shareholders, it requires the approval of all three shareholders.

Afterwards, Fang Wei returned to the village with Yang Feng, carrying the board resolution.

Over the next few days, he had thorough discussions with the directors of the three cooperatives. The cooperative's board of directors had no authority to decide on such a major matter; a general meeting of all members would be held afterward, and procedural matters could not be arbitrarily altered.

Yaoling Cooperative is the largest shareholder and can determine the success or failure of this matter.

Fang Wei attended the general meeting of all members. He couldn't mobilize people for this matter, so he could only choose the answer through voting.

The vote results surprised him greatly; more than 90% of the members voted in favor, meaning they agreed to the state-owned capital investment.

Following closely behind, the Yao Village and Tian Bingyi Cooperative also passed resolutions, making state-owned capital investment a certainty.

As for the subsidized loan, it is an ancillary item and can be credited to the account at any time after the equity transaction is completed.

The board of directors authorized Hu Linwei to handle the remaining matters. After negotiations, the storage unit invested 36 billion yuan and acquired a 15% stake in Yaoling Agriculture.

The premium is relatively high, but acceptable to both parties.

Sure enough, after the equity transfer procedures were completed, the 15 billion yuan interest-subsidized loan arrived in the account.

This year's autumn harvest was quite good, and Fang Wei checked all the data and felt very satisfied.

"Chairman, I read the analysis report and it suggests that there is a significant soybean shortage in China this year. That's why soybean prices have actually risen by 5% after the autumn harvest, which is unusual."

morning.

Fang Wei was sitting in his office handling official business when Yang Feng came in and reported a situation to him.

While some soybean farmers in China have achieved bumper harvests, a considerable number of farmers are still recovering from the impact of receiving free genetically modified soybean seeds from Monsanto.

In other words, these farmers harvested nothing in the fall.

In addition, domestic demand for soybeans has surged, and even with a considerable amount of imported soybeans this year, the supply still cannot meet the demand.

There's no other way; China only has 18 billion mu of arable land, and we must prioritize the production of staple grains. The land available for soybean production is limited.

International giants like Monsanto recognized this and began raising international soybean prices after the autumn harvest, marking the beginning of a new round of price increases.

Fortunately, the domestic soybean production provides some support, preventing prices from spiraling out of control for the time being.

With the coordination of relevant departments, some of the domestically produced soybeans were put into reserve warehouses, while the rest were sold to domestic enterprises.

"There's nothing we can do; our influence is still insufficient. It's already good enough if domestic soybean production can curb the skyrocketing soybean prices; we don't have pricing power yet."

Fang Wei listened silently to Yang Feng finish speaking, and couldn't help but sigh.

Establishing a stable and reliable soybean supply chain requires time and money, both of which are precisely what China lacks.

Domestic soybean production cannot meet demand, so imports are the only option. Many agricultural products on the international market are controlled by a few major players, making life difficult for buyers.

However, things are not so pessimistic. It is precisely because of the emergence of [Nan Dou 339] that soybean planting in China has not collapsed under such difficult circumstances.

The fact that the company's [Nan Dou 339] product sold very well after the autumn harvest proves this point.

"Sigh! Chairman, quite a few farmers who are still waiting for land restoration have also purchased [Nan Dou 339] soybean seeds. Do you think there's any way to get them to plant next spring?"

Yang Feng was very angry. Although those farmers suffered a great loss because they were greedy for cheap prices, some international giants were using such dirty methods.

He couldn't swallow this insult and really wanted the farmers who had suffered losses to be able to replant soybeans as soon as possible.

"There is a solution, but it's a bit expensive. Excessive soil fertility loss can be compensated for through technical means, but it requires a lot of materials, and they're not cheap."

If it's land within a planting area, simply applying more fertilizer can improve the soil condition; however, this won't work in other areas, and you'll need to spend a lot of money to alleviate the problem.

Of course, fallowing is actually a good solution, but unfortunately, China has too little arable land. (End of Chapter)