1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 164 Remember to Run Faster

Xu Wenxiang held the letter in her hand and slowly began to read it.

Prior to this, his impression of Chen Cai Nong had greatly improved, and he was quite looking forward to his suggestions.

As she began to read, the contents of the letter quickly captivated her.

The handwriting and layout are very neat; it's hard to imagine that this was written by a vegetable farmer.

There are two plans in total.

Everything was written in great detail. She read it carefully twice before she could summarize what Chen Cai Nong meant.

Option 1: Rice-vegetable rotation.

Rice is planted from June to September, and leafy vegetables are produced for the rest of the year. Alternatively, the plant can take a two- or three-month break and then start early autumn sowing in mid-August.

This plan is easy to understand; it's a suggestion specifically for Jiangxin Vegetable Market.

Option 2: Relocate.

On its own, it may seem unremarkable, but there are many subtle details worth exploring.

The site selection criteria are described in great detail.

The analysis of factors such as soil fertility, rent levels, transportation conditions, water supply and drainage, and the surrounding environment is highly logical.

Xu Wenxiang could tell from this that Chen Cai Nong was very skilled.

But the other five factors are truly worth considering.

I. Off-season planting
In recent years, a term has been frequently mentioned regarding vegetables in China: "southern vegetables transported to the north".

Taking advantage of the warm, spring-like climate in the south, vegetable production is systematically developed in the south during the winter and spring seasons to supply the northern market.

For example, Zhanjiang and Maoming have special train lines every winter that transport tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers to the north.

Are there any places where high-quality leafy vegetables can be grown in the summer?

Guangzhou is not suitable for leafy vegetable production in summer due to high temperatures and heavy rainfall. Are there any regions with cool, dry summer climates and large temperature differences between day and night?

If you can find a base that meets all the requirements in terms of land, rent, transportation, and water, and also has a climate suitable for the full-scale production of various leafy vegetables in the summer, then as long as you're smart, making money will be a piece of cake.

Such places are obviously hard to find.

Therefore, the second point arises.

Second, there is a significant difference in quality compared to other products from the same period.

If you can't find land suitable for growing leafy vegetables in the summer, then look for regions where vegetables grown at the same time are of good quality.

How can we ensure high-quality vegetables?
A common understanding is that there is long hours of sunshine, large temperature differences between day and night, and low rainfall.

In terms of vegetable quality, climate conditions have a much stronger impact than planting methods; it cannot be solved simply by saying that you should not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Therefore, we need to find a region with a relatively better climate around Huacheng.

The next three factors are also very useful: relative advantage over the target sales location, labor force, and local customs and traditions.

He even specifically cited local customs and traditions as an example, saying that in some provinces and cities with tough local customs, you can forget about transporting a single vegetable out if you don't have good relationships with the people.

The selection of a site for a vegetable production base is a very important issue.

Everyone knows the conventional theories about soil, water, electricity, and transportation, but many more secrets lie beyond the conventional.

If you get one key point right, you might be counting your money with a smile on your face.

At the end of Option Two, Chen Cai Nong also gave an example, one of which was Dong Sheng Agriculture, which Xu Wenxiang was very familiar with.

Last year, they began planning to build a vegetable market in Conghua, in the northeast of Huacheng.

Another large Hong Kong-funded enterprise is Congyu Vegetable Market.

Both are large vegetable markets covering thousands of acres.

"Conghua~" Xu Wenxiang asked Xu He, "Have you verified this?"

Xu He nodded: "I asked around and found out that Dongsheng plans to build a 2000-mu vegetable market in Conghua and 3000 mu in Congyu. It seems that the local governments took the initiative to introduce them and provided a lot of policy support. In addition to water, electricity, roads and communications, they also provided a land rent subsidy of 300 yuan per mu for five consecutive years."

"Is the policy really that strong?"

"Yes, Conghua mobilized farmers to grow vegetables a couple of years ago, but problems with varieties, technology, and sales channels remained unresolved. The farmers grew vegetables, but then fell into disappointment and resentment. One spring, they even dumped their vegetables right in front of the municipal government building!"

Xu Wenxiang remained silent.

"Who did you ask?"

"A friend from an agricultural office group."

"What do you think Chen Cai Nong is thinking?"

“He probably prefers the second option. He wrote it in great detail, and even cited the examples of Dongsheng and Congyu in case we didn’t believe him.”

“Conghua is just one example; he must have other potential locations that he hasn’t mentioned yet.”

Xu Wenxiang pondered and said, "Moreover, he wrote two plans, and I feel that he prefers a combination of the two."

His third point was: It has an advantage relative to the target sales area, which refers to suburban areas such as Panyu.

Xu He scratched his head. "So what do you plan to do?"

"do not know."

"do not know?"

"It feels more complicated now."

"We still lack experts."

“I’ve also consulted the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and they also suggested that we either leave the land idle in the summer or plant rice. Compared to experts, we lack people who can implement our plans.” Xu Wenxiang pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll invite Chen, the vegetable farmer, over for tea sometime.”

Xu He said, "He might not be too willing."

"It's just chatting. Let's see if we can get more out of him." Xu Wenxiang waved the letter in her hand and said, "I think it's very well written and very inspiring. I'll show it to the others later."

This isn't something an ordinary person could write. Even experts from agricultural research institutes tend to focus more on conventional theoretical elements and relatively neglect market factors. Chen Cai Nong clearly leans more towards the actual market, simply put, how to make more money.

However, regarding the second option, he only offered Conghua as an option, especially since Conghua already had two Hong Kong businesses, Dongsheng and Congyu, who had already moved in.

If the base is to be rebuilt, it will either have to compete with Dongsheng and Congyu, or it will have to be relocated.

Comparatively speaking, staying at Jiangxin Market is simpler. It's less busy for two or three months in the summer, which is much simpler and more convenient.
The only problem is that vegetable prices are low in winter and spring, while land rent, labor costs, and other expenses in the suburbs are rising rapidly. We can only maintain operations now, but what about in two years?
This may also be the reason why Dongsheng moved to Conghua, which is further out in the suburbs.

Looking at Xu Wenxiang, who was overjoyed, Xu He wanted to say something.

Why does a hotel general manager always get involved in these kinds of things?
In the end, all I could do was shake my head. Besides the hotel having shares in Jiangxin Vegetable Market, my cousin wanted to get involved in more of her husband's family's businesses, which was hard to say whether it was a good or bad thing.

That said, Chen Cai Nong was quite capable; he had won her trust after only a few meetings.

When it comes to growing vegetables, Chen, the vegetable farmer, always seems to easily gain the trust of others.

...

A ray of setting sun shone through the window. Chen Jiazhi slowly got up and saw Li Xiu carrying Xiaodoudou, walking back and forth in the room.

"You're awake, Jiazhi."

"Hmm~"

"Second sister has cooked mung bean porridge with cowpeas and minced meat. Wash your face and go eat something first."

When cowpeas are in season, there's always a dish of minced meat and cowpeas in our house.

Because it tastes good and goes well with rice, and because it's simple and convenient, it can quickly fill your stomach when paired with pre-cooled porridge.

After dinner, Chen Jiazhi went back to his room, held the baby for a while, and then took out the manuscript he had written the night before and added a few more strokes.

Li Xiu leaned over and glanced at the vegetables, then said, "Jiazhi, why don't you go to the field and take a look? I heard from my second sister that the workers were wasting vegetables, leaving many that looked decent unharvested."

"It's nothing, I told them to harvest it like this this morning."

"Oh~"

Li Xiu was clearly reluctant to part with it.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Don't be afraid of wasting money. Quality is the most important thing now. You can rest at home and recuperate. I'll go out and take a look."

The sky had already darkened, and batches of vegetables were growing rapidly.

In plots 2-6, a batch of bok choy planted on July 10 is being harvested.

The growing seasons differed by a day or two, and the thinning process was not done properly, resulting in a large number of small seedlings.

In the past, they would have been sold mixed in with ordinary vegetables.

Now, we are harvesting premium bok choy in a unified manner, and these smaller seedlings that are not thick enough are kept and discarded.

This is what my second sister and Li Xiu meant by "waste".

But this is actually a normal phenomenon.

Only small-scale vegetable farmers care so much, harvesting everything regardless of size. They get a good yield, but the impression they give to buyers is terrible.

Chen Jiazhi wanted to create high-quality products, but it was not feasible to implement a grading system for the time being, so he had to give up some things.

The vegetable pickers, who were bending over to collect the vegetables, also saw him. Qi Yongfeng asked, "Brother Zhi, is there a problem with the vegetables you're collecting?"

"No, it's fine." Chen Jiazhi smiled. "It's just that we might have to plant some bok choy on this plot of land. When we're preparing the land, we'll have to pull up the remaining bok choy heads and pile them up in one place. They can be used as fertilizer when they rot."

After circling around for a while, Chen Jiazhi said, "Let's pile it up in the original bitter gourd and loofah field. The Da Gu Qing seeds won't mature for a while, so we'll prepare the land together then."

"Okay."

That was Ao Dehai's jurisdiction.

It's very hot, and the plants need to be watered both morning and evening. Of the 12 vegetable workers, 8 are harvesting the vegetables, and 4 are watering them.

Chen Jiazhi went through them one by one.

Apart from the broccoli, which looked rather bleak, everything else was still presentable. This off-season broccoli crop probably failed.

Not unexpected, but also disappointing.

This has made him hesitant to try growing lettuce now, and the potential losses have become a minor issue.

I don't plan to make any more moves. Just getting through the last month of the "harvesting" market will be a victory in itself.

...

On the last day of July, stall number 56 was even busier than the day before.

As soon as Shi Feng's tricycle arrives, a whole truckload of vegetables will be emptied in no time.

The price of the vegetables was 5 cents higher than the average market price, but this did not hinder its sales speed at all.

Stalls 55 and 57 have witnessed latecomers repeatedly slapping their thighs in frustration at the aisle entrance.

This heat lasted until August.

The purchasing staff arrived even earlier than the day before, but there was only so much food available, causing some to be happy and others to be worried.

Several times, conflicts nearly broke out in the struggle to get the vegetables, and some people who hadn't received any vegetables the day before still came.

For three consecutive days, Chen Jiazhi and Yi Long only experienced a fleeting moment of pleasure, as if it were over with a 'whoosh'.

On the morning of the 1st, after a brief but hurried period of busy work, Yi Long said, "Uncle, if you had more vegetables, you could make so much more money! In my old man's words, you just don't last long."

"What do kids know? This is real perseverance," Chen Jiazhi laughed. "If I weren't persistent, I'd run out of vegetables long ago. Where would you earn your daily wage of 8 yuan then?"

"That seems to be the case."

"Your dad runs out of vegetables every few days. Do you think that's sustainable? He just has trouble selling vegetables, so it takes him a long time to sell them every day. That's not sustainable!"

"I'll tell my dad later."

"Remember to run fast."

(End of this chapter)