1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 322 Yunnan Trip

Having lived two lives, this was Chen Jiazhi's first time on an airplane, and he was a little nervous.

But when you actually sit on it, it's not all that special.

For comfort, Chen Jiazhi specially bought a first-class ticket, and after taking a nap, he arrived at Kunming Wujiaba Airport.

Kunming has a spring-like climate all year round. When I got off the plane, it was already evening, and I could feel a slight chill in the air.

Chen Jiazhi took out the prepared shirt from his backpack and put it on, leaving Xue Jun alone rubbing his body in the cold wind.

"My clothes are too small for you. Let's find a place to buy two new outfits tomorrow."

"It's okay. I can handle it."

"Don't catch a cold; it might only be around ten degrees Celsius in Kunming at night."

Chen Jiazhi pointed out that it is precisely because Kunming has a cool climate with no sweltering heat in summer and a large temperature difference between day and night that it is so suitable for producing summer and autumn vegetables.

Xue Jun clasped his hands together, realizing that things couldn't continue like this in the long run, and could only nod in agreement.

The two went out for dinner, then checked into a hotel, and even called home to let their families know they were safe.

Chen Jiazhi didn't go out that night; he stayed in the hotel planning the route for his inspection trip.

He first included Chenggong in Kunming, Tonghai in Yuxi, and Midu in Dali in his plan.

Secondly, there's Yuanmou in Chuxiong, which I should visit if I have time. However, Yuanmou is a hot zone, mainly producing winter and early spring vegetables, and it's also a major base for transporting vegetables from the south to the north. There might not be any harvest right now.

Thinking about how to break the deadlock, Chen Jiazhi remembered Ding Sheng again, so he went to the front desk to call him again and leave a message, informing him of the hotel he was staying at.

He made a call before setting off, and Ding Sheng knew he would come to Yunnan.

The next morning, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun inquired about the distribution of farmers' markets and wholesale markets in the city.

Soon, Chen Jiazhi learned the familiar name of the market: Wangqiying Vegetable Wholesale Market.

It will also be the largest vegetable wholesale market in Yunnan in the future, but the Wangqiying Market has only just opened.

However, due to geographical location and policy reasons, it has already reached a considerable scale.

During the day, many vehicles come and go here.

"There's a good variety of vegetables!" Xue Jun said, looking at the vegetables on the truck. "Cabbage, radish, bok choy, zucchini, green beans, peppers, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, cucumbers..."

"Hey, there's romaine lettuce here too?"

The accents from the southwest were quite similar. Upon hearing this, the stall owner called out, "Take a look, 45 cents a pound, boss, how much do you want?"

"So cheap?" Xue Jun was a little surprised and blurted out that romaine lettuce in Huacheng costs 2 yuan per jin.

The stall owner smiled and said, "If it's cheap, buy more. My vegetables are pretty good."

"Let me take another look, let me take another look."

This merchant didn't have a large quantity of romaine lettuce, and couldn't organize a whole truckload of goods.

The market area is not small, probably covering several dozen acres. It took Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun an hour to see the whole market.

During this time, Chen Jiazhi also took out a pen and notebook to compile statistics on the production, supply, and prices of various vegetables. The variety was rich and the prices were cheap.

Yunnan's export vegetables are seasonal, including winter and spring export vegetables and summer and autumn export vegetables.

Based on its geographical location, Kunming should export more vegetables in the summer and autumn.

However, according to conversations between Chen Jiazhi and several merchants, Wangqiying currently has a relatively small volume of fresh vegetables being sold outside the area, especially leafy greens.

Its main purpose is to meet the daily needs of Kunming's current population of over two million.

The reason for the small proportion of exports is also very simple: exports are heavily reliant on railways. Due to the tight railway capacity, it is usually necessary to report the train usage plan and scheduling plan to the railway system a month in advance, and most of the trains are heading north.

Railway transportation takes a long time, and long-term transportation has a significant impact on fresh vegetables.

As for road transport, currently only a very small number of individual vendors in the area are transporting vegetables outside the area.

After spending the morning in Wangqiying, Chen Jiazhi arrived in Chenggong County, which is under the jurisdiction of Kunming, in the afternoon.

Chenggong is located east of Dianchi Lake, about 20 kilometers from Kunming.

At that time, Chenggong had two towns and five townships under its jurisdiction, and it was also Kunming's vegetable basket.

There is also the Ximen Agricultural Wholesale Market here, which has been operating for many years and is still one of the top professional vegetable wholesale markets in Yunnan.

The volume and variety of vegetables traded here are also greater.

Chen Jiazhi also saw Cantonese dishes such as bok choy and mustard greens. The quantity was small, but he could tell at a glance that these were high-end dishes destined for Hong Kong and Macau and must have been shipped by air.

After visiting the two markets and resting for a night, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun took a taxi to explore the towns and villages surrounding Chenggong.

Overall, Chenggong has a strong advantage in developing summer and autumn vegetable cultivation.

Especially in terms of irrigation, Chenggong is located in a dam area, and its irrigation conditions are more mature compared to most rain-fed planting areas.

"There are quite a few people planting flowers here, and they look quite beautiful."

As the car drove along the road, there were rows of greenhouses outside, some made of bamboo frames and others of brand-new steel frames. Instead of vegetables, all kinds of flowers were growing in the greenhouses, and it was the peak blooming season.

Hearing Xue Jun's praise, the taxi driver also started talking.

"Growing flowers can make money too. In the village just over there, a flower trading market covering more than 10 acres was just built this year. It is said that more than 300 million yuan was invested, and there are quite a few people buying and selling flowers every day."

"Is this Dounan Flower Market?" Chen Jiazhi interjected. The driver exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, handsome guy, you know quite a lot. This flower market was only renovated this year. What do you do? You don't sound like a local."

"We're from Sichuan, mainly in the vegetable business. We just came here to take a look around." Chen Jiazhi said with a smile, "Since we're already here, sir, why don't you take us to the flower market?"

"Okay."

Dounan Flower Market later became very famous, known as "China's No. 1 Flower Town" and the largest cut flower market in Asia. Chen Jiazhi visited it several times.

However, the market is still small, and the main flower varieties are gladioli. But the overall potential is obvious, and the profit margin for flower wholesale should be higher than that for vegetables.

After visiting the market, the taxi started circling around the fields again.

This time, Chen Jiazhi also paid attention to field roads and irrigation systems related to flowers, which shows that the government attaches great importance to the flower industry.

"Jiazhi, do you perhaps still want to grow flowers?"

"It won't hurt to know more."

Chen Jiazhi pursed his lips. He was willing to give it a try, but the focus right now was on the vegetables.

With the foundation laid by the flower industry, Chenggong also has a strong advantage in vegetable cultivation.

After visiting several villages, we finally came across one with a large vegetable growing area.

The flat land was covered with cauliflower, spinach, carrots, cucumbers...

Chen Jiazhi noted down the location and also talked with some villagers to learn about the local purchase price, labor costs, and supplies.

However, no other matters were mentioned rashly.

Before dark, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun returned to Kunming. They had been driving all day and had spent several hundred yuan on taxi fares.

Xue Jun felt a pang of pain, "That's really outrageous!"

"Don't worry about the money, just make sure you've completed the inspection mission." Chen Jiazhi patted the notebook in his hand and walked towards the hotel.

After entering the lobby, the receptionist told him that Ding Sheng had called that afternoon.

Chen Jiazhi immediately called back and, after a short while, got in touch with Ding Sheng.

"Mr. Chen, I happen to be transporting a truckload of vegetables to Chenggong Ximen Market tonight. We can go back to Tonghai together tomorrow, and I'll show you around and let you experience the local customs and culture of Tonghai."

"Haha, what a coincidence! I just went to Ximen Market today."

Tonghai belongs to Yuxi and is located south of Kunming. In addition to flue-cured tobacco, it is also an advantageous area for growing summer and autumn vegetables.

His trip wasn't just about selecting a production base; it was more about finding sources of goods.

The next morning, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun got into Ding Sheng's Dongfeng flatbed truck.

Ding Sheng, with his stubble, offered cigarettes to the two men. "Boss Chen, are you going to buy groceries to take back to Huacheng this time?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "If Master Ding is willing to make the trip, I will definitely send two truckloads of vegetables back."

Ding Sheng took a puff of his cigarette. "It's the peak season for tobacco harvesting and curing recently, so it's not so easy to find a truck. But if you're buying vegetables from Tonghai and shipping them, I can find you a truck."

Since he was already there, Chen Jiazhi really wanted to try road transport.

Is it easy to source goods in Tonghai?

"To buy vegetables in Tonghai, just go to the supply and marketing cooperative. The supply and marketing cooperative will purchase vegetables from farmers and then sell them in a unified manner. They will also organize special personnel to handle the shipping procedures."

"Isn't this just going back to the old ways of unified purchase and sales?"

“I do know something about this,” Ding Sheng said thoughtfully. “Tonghai’s vegetable business was fully liberalized 10 years ago, but problems arose in the first year. There was panic buying in the early stages, and then a lot of the market was left unsold.”

The supply and marketing cooperatives then implemented unified management of bulk vegetables, mainly garlic, garlic scapes, and onions. No unit or individual was allowed to directly purchase these vegetables from rural areas, but they could wholesale them from the supply and marketing cooperatives.

Chen Jiazhi noticed the majority of the vegetables listed, "What about leafy vegetables?"

Ding Sheng said, "There is no unified management, but Tonghai is most famous for its early spring garlic, garlic scapes and onions, but cabbage is also available, and some drivers have transported cabbage to Huacheng."

Chen Jiazhi heard the words "early spring" again, and after asking, he learned that Tonghai also mainly serves the northern market.

Most of them are shipped to North China, Northwest China and Northeast China by rail, with only a few going south. There are no direct trains from Yunnan to Huacheng.

After arriving in Tonghai, Chen Jiazhi, through Ding Sheng's introduction, also bought a truckload of cabbages from the supply and marketing cooperative and sent them to Huacheng. He also gave Ding Sheng a tip for guiding him.

A truckload of 8 tons costs approximately 1.2 yuan, and the cost to reach Huacheng is roughly equivalent to 0.7 yuan per kilogram.

He didn't send out a large truck; he mainly wanted to test the timing and effect.

They didn't use a foam box for packaging, but they added ice packs. If it arrives safely, after deducting losses, they might even make a profit.

However, it turned out to be very risky.

A few days later, Chen Jiazhi had already traveled from Midu to Yuanmou, while the vegetables had only just arrived in Huacheng, and by then they were already wilted.

Li Cai and Ding Qiao peeled the cabbage layer by layer before they could sell it.

The shipment consisted of 1.6 jin of vegetables, but only 0.73 jin were actually sold, resulting in a loss of over 50%.

However, vegetable prices in Huacheng have been good recently, with cabbage reaching 1.7 yuan per jin. The last truckload of vegetables earned 410 yuan, averaging a profit of 2.5 fen per jin.

After seeing Chen Jiazhi's calculations, Xue Jun exclaimed, "This business is viable! We're using small trucks, and we haven't paid much attention to keeping things fresh. If we use larger trucks and improve the preservation, the losses will be reduced, and the profits should be quite good."

Chen Jiazhi tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered, "It can indeed be made, but it's not quite suitable for bok choy. There might be better options."

(End of this chapter)