1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 282 I Want to Be More Vigorous

When Chen Jiazhi woke up, he felt a little tired, so he shouted to cheer himself up as he got out of bed.

Peng Guozhen's voice soon came from downstairs, asking, "Jiazhi, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, Mom."

"Come down and eat! There's some food left for you in the pot, it's still warm!"

When Chen Jiazhi went downstairs, he saw his father, Chen Shaochang, sitting in the main room reading the newspaper, while Peng Guozhen was holding Chen Zhengyun and playing with the rabbits in the chicken coop, teasing them with grass leaves.

After greeting him, he went to the pot to get some food: rice with cowpeas and cured pork, plus a bowl of rice porridge. He ate it with gusto, his appetite was excellent!
After finishing their meal, Chen Shaochang chatted with the two elderly people. Wearing a hearing aid, he asked, "These green peppers are selling very well, aren't they?"

"Sales are going very well, and we've already started making money."

"I heard you say this morning that selling for one more day would earn you seventy or eighty thousand yuan?"

"Yeah, it's mainly about the portion sizes."

"The green peppers in the field are growing very well."

"Hmm~ I should be able to make a good profit."

"If you're so capable, be better than me."

“Times have changed.” Chen Jiazhi could sense his relief and then asked, “Are you getting used to life here?”

“What’s there to be unaccustomed to?” Peng Guozhen said. “He goes fishing every day, watches TV and the news, Yi Dinggan often finds people to play cards with him, and occasionally takes care of his grandson. He doesn’t have to do any work; he couldn’t be more comfortable!”

Chen Shaochang, rolling a cigarette, said, "I also cut the grass and vegetable leaves that your chickens and rabbits eat, okay?"

After chatting with the two for a while and hugging his son, Chen Jiazhi rode his bicycle to the market.

It was already four or five in the afternoon, and the air was slightly hot.

The harvesting time for green peppers is being delayed, and they are also susceptible to damage from stuffy and humid environments during transportation and storage.

Don't pick them when it rains, don't pick them when it's hot~
However, this did not affect the bustling activity in the market. From afar, Chen Jiazhi could hear Yi Dinggan's shouts.

"Gently, gently!"

"This bamboo pole can still be used!"

"Hey, you there, pick all the remaining bean pods from the plants too, we can probably get a thousand pounds or so!"

"Make sure to cut all the vines off!"

He not only shouted it out, but also did it himself.

The snow pea vines have sprouted.

If the greenhouse is to be used in the future, pulling up the seedlings is a technical task, but now it's quite simple and straightforward.

Simply cut the vines, spread them on the ground, let them dry in the sun for two days, and then burn them. This will not only increase soil fertility but also reduce the chances of pests and diseases in the next crop.

Chen Jiazhi didn't go looking for Yi Dinggan, but continued to patrol the fields, where he also saw Li Xiu.

She wore a hat, just like any other vegetable worker, to cover herself up completely as she worked in the vegetable field.

Actually, this is good. If he didn't have other things to do, Chen Jiazhi would be willing to do farm work with the vegetable vendors.

"Manager, Xia Youche called you several times today."

"That Xia Youche from Hong Kong?"

"Yes, he said he'd call you later."

"Heh~ I thought he'd keep being so stubborn." Chen Jiazhi sneered, then asked Xu Yao, "When will the accounts and salaries for April be available?"

"We're already reconciling accounts with Li Cai," Xu Yao said thoughtfully. "We'll have to wait a few more days."

"As soon as possible."

Back in his office, Chen Jiazhi brewed a pot of tea before taking out a map of Guangdong Province to study.

He was recalling which vegetable-producing areas were famous in Guangdong and the surrounding areas.

First, there's the Pearl River Delta, where the three cities of Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan are all core vegetable production areas, with leafy vegetables, represented by Chinese cabbage, being the most widespread.

Secondly, western and northern Guangdong~
Cities and types of vegetables came to mind.

He can't remember many things, but those he can remember are definitely not nobody.

For example, Zhanjiang and Maoming,

For example, Zengcheng late-season cabbage, Lianzhou cabbage, Shuidong mustard greens, Sanshui black-skinned winter melon, Jiangmen Dading bitter melon...

However, these are currently difficult to sell in large quantities.

Wholesale markets primarily rely on volume sales to make money; opportunities to profit from information asymmetry are rare and hard to come by.

If the trading volume picks up, and we sell 70 or 80 tons a day, making 10 cents per kilogram, we can earn tens of thousands of yuan a day.

The current daily output of 20 tons for stall number 63 is not actually that much.

During the peak season for vegetables, the average daily output of each stall in Jiangnan is estimated to be 25 to 30 tons.

Stall number 63 is only considered slightly below average. The reason it seems more popular is firstly because of its remote location, and secondly because the dishes are served in a concentrated manner, causing it to shut down within five or six hours.

Moreover, the summer off-season is just around the corner. If we can secure a stable supply of goods during the summer, it goes without saying that we'll make a profit!
Summer is also the easiest time to profit from information asymmetry, but there are also risks associated with transportation and storage.

According to his understanding, cold storage facilities are already under construction at the Jiangnan Market.
However, storage also incurs costs, and leafy vegetables also carry significant risks.

The best option is to stock up on goods that store well, such as root vegetables like winter melon, pumpkin, potatoes, and radishes.
The warehouse at the Dongxiang vegetable market can even be put to use.

In addition, it is also necessary to build one's own cold storage.

Summer is here. Jiangxin Market is 10 times larger than Dongxiang Market, making it more difficult to manage. Without a pre-cooling warehouse, just scheduling the vegetable harvesting time can drive people crazy.

Vegetable spoilage can be alarmingly high, and it could even damage a company's reputation.
Another point is that leafy greens sold at stall number 63 must also be packaged uniformly, using disposable plastic crates or foam boxes.
Soon, Chen Jiazhi sorted out a series of ideas.

Look for leafy greens nearby;
Search for root vegetables that are resistant to storage over medium to long distances;
Improve the storage and pre-cooling facilities in the vegetable market;

There is also the need to clarify the profit-sharing rights of core management personnel, and currently only Yi Dinggan is one of them.

However, there won't be just one manager anymore. How profits are distributed, how much they are, all need to be decided and linked to the market's operating profits. It also needs to be determined whether the current profit-sharing rights will be converted into equity in the future. Similarly, the separate stall number 63 and the distribution center will also be subject to this.

brush brush~
Chen Jiazhi listed all his ideas on a piece of paper until the knocking on the door and the ringing of the telephone rang almost simultaneously.

He guessed that the call was from Xia Youche, so he didn't answer it for the time being, but instead poured a cup of tea for Yi Dinggan who came in.

"Come on, have some tea. Your throat must be hoarse from shouting, right?"

"Not yet. Besides, even if it's smoking hot, it's still worth it." Yi Ding took a sip of tea, a contented expression on his face. "Today we can harvest at least seventeen or eighteen tons of green peppers, that's sixty or seventy thousand yuan!"

"Just thinking about this gives me boundless energy!"

"So you still have time to come see me?"

Yi Dinggan opened the notebook in his hand and placed it in front of Chen Jiazhi.

"Take a look at the planting plan for the next crop in the next couple of days. If there are no problems, I'll proceed with that."

Yi Dinggan added, "I'll also write the technical notification forms according to this method."

Chen Jiazhi started reading.

The green peppers are currently concentrated in three groups in the northern part of the area, and the next crop will mainly be grown in the southern part, which also covers 300 acres.

From burning seedlings, applying base fertilizer, preparing the land and making ridges, and dredging ditches, to planting plans, crop distribution, and facility protection...

Each point wasn't written in great detail, but it covered the key points.

After quickly skimming through it, Chen Jiazhi then carefully examined the planting plan.

The main ingredient is bok choy, with only small amounts of water spinach, loofah, and bitter melon.
Yi Dinggan explained, "If we want to maintain a stable supply, Chinese cabbage is definitely the most suitable. The demand is high, the price is high, and the growing period is short. In addition, with small arched greenhouses and shade nets, there is still a good chance this summer."

"Hmm, the idea is sound." Chen Jiazhi pondered, "There's another method we can try."

"what way?"

"Do you remember last summer when I had to transplant several batches of bok choy to keep the vegetables in stock?"

Yi Dinggan squinted and remembered that he was still growing his own vegetables last summer, and he had a deep impression of it, as it was when vegetable prices were at their highest.

"You mean it can be transplanted?"

“Yes.” Chen Jiazhi pondered and said, “But we need to change the seedling cultivation method and use plug trays. In the greenhouse for snow peas, we can reserve a few acres of high ground to place the plug trays.”

In this way, seedling cultivation in plug trays can solve the problem of transplanted bok choy having a tougher texture. With the protection of greenhouses and shade nets, it also shortens the time bok choy spends in the field. Furthermore, when bok choy in the field is damaged by crop failure, plug tray seedlings can be used to quickly fill the gaps.

Yi Dinggan savored it carefully.

The small arched sheds and shade nets have proven their value, and last year's transplanting experience has proven their feasibility.

The seedlings of Chinese cabbage grown in plug trays are definitely stronger, more likely to survive, and recover faster than those grown during thinning.

It also shortened the growth period.
The more I think about it, the more feasible it seems.

How did you come up with that?

"Summarize and review frequently."

Chen Jiazhi smiled, quite pleased with himself, realizing that this time he had indeed succeeded by summarizing his experience.

And it seems very reliable.

Yi Dinggan took another sip of tea, still pondering the impact of seedling transplanting, which shortened the field growing season.

This applies not only to bok choy, but also to other leafy greens such as baby bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, mustard greens, and romaine lettuce.
"I want to apply more base fertilizer this time when preparing the land."

"Okay~"

"I want to go a bit harder later on."

"How fierce?"

"More impressive than you were last year."

"Please don't take me with you."

"..."

易定干沉吟道：“如果能缩短5天生长期，大部分叶菜甚至都能做到15~20天一批菜，只要地力够，5~9月5个月的时间最多可出6茬菜！

Even if the green peppers are planned to be harvested for another month, they can be harvested in June. Under the best circumstances, an average of 30 acres of vegetables can be harvested every day!

"Even if it's not 2000 jin per mu, 1500 jin should be achievable, that's more than 20 tons of bok choy a day!"

Chen Jiazhi also drank tea and pondered for a moment.

"Six crops in five months, with an average of 25 days per crop, leaving a full five days for land preparation—you call that impressive, Deputy Director Yi?"

Yi Dinggan scratched his head. "There are too many pests and diseases in summer. If we don't clean up and disinfect them, there will be big problems."

Jiangxin vegetable market is also a base registered with customs, so they dare not use too much pesticide. Who knows, one day there might be a chance to supply Hong Kong again..."

Just then, the phone rang again.

"You guessed right. There really is still a chance to supply Hong Kong. This call was made from Hong Kong."

Chen Jiazhi smiled, then picked up the phone with a cold face. Sure enough, it was Xia Youche.

"Just say what you need to say. I'm very busy and don't have time for idle chatter."

"Hmm~ I want to buy green peppers from you."

Xia Youche stammered, saying that he had already figured out the current situation at Jiangxin Vegetable Market from morning till night.

Selling fewer Dutch beans for more than a month has already cost him one or two million less in earnings!
We absolutely have to catch this green pepper.

"Quote."

"HKD 2.5 per pound".

He gave what he thought was a very sincere phone number, but the call was immediately disconnected.

(End of this chapter)