1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 354 Western Guangdong
"Damn, where's the cured meat?"

"Since you two like to eat bok choy, we'll finish the meat."

Xue Jun's eyes flickered, and Chen Jiazhi actually saw a helpless and pitiful expression on the big man.

"Fine, let's just eat it. Anyway, the cured meat was originally brought for you to eat."

It was just a simple food tasting; besides stir-fried bok choy with cured pork, there were no other dishes.

Soon, the late-season cabbage was finished by the group, and they were quite satisfied.

Chen Zhengxu said, "Uncle, I think it's time to put the Zengcheng late-season cabbage base on the agenda."

Xue Jun asked, "How big of a base do you want to build? Do you have enough money? The company has a lot of expenses these days."

He followed Chen Jiazhi to Shanghai, and then to Yuanmou, where he invested a great deal in both bases.

Upon returning, I learned that the cooperation base that Li Cai had discussed in Lianzhou was also underway.

“That’s enough,” Chen Jiazhi said with a smile. “These are all part of my plan.”

Yuanmou will invest 300 million yuan, Shanghai will invest 300-400 million yuan, Lianzhou, Zengcheng and Shuidong will invest 200 million yuan each, and there is also a reserve fund of more than 100 million yuan.

He had already conceived of these things.

Moreover, the 300 million yuan in Yuanmou generated benefits before it was fully spent, and the Shanghai base still has ample funds.

The Lianzhou base operates on a cooperative model, where the company builds small cold storage facilities and provides seedlings, while farmers are responsible for production and the company then purchases the produce, resulting in lower costs.

There is still plenty of capacity to build a base in Zengcheng, and even the mustard greens in Shuidong can be used.

Chen Zhengxu then asked with a smile, "Where in Zengcheng is the base located?"

“Xiaolou Town, that’s where we found this late-maturing cabbage,” Chen Jiazhi said. “However, there are still many things to pay attention to in its cultivation, such as whether there are better seeds and more sufficient organic fertilizer. If we do all these things well, I believe there is still room for improvement in taste.”

However, these matters will be handled by the base; your main focus, and Li Cai's, is to control the market.

Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai both stated that there would be no problem, as the quality of the dishes was good and market promotion would be easy.

Even Chen Zhengxu had high expectations for Shuidong mustard greens.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Following me and Xue Jun, we will go to Maoming and then to Zhanjiang to investigate Shuidong mustard greens. We will also conduct research in the production areas and wholesale markets along the way to make plans for next year."

Li Cai, you also need to conduct a survey of the surrounding wholesale markets, analyzing the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly vegetable price trends in detail.

Many vegetable farmers like to recall last year's prices when planting vegetables, and most of them plant whatever they feel is what they want this year.

Chen Jiazhi was already used to recording and analyzing data.

Under his leadership, everyone, from farmers' markets and stalls to delivery services, developed the habit of recording market conditions.

Unlike in the previous life, this time I also tried to input it on a computer.

With this year's market data, combined with information from other wholesale markets and production areas, we can formulate next year's planting plan based on this data and perhaps discover a different picture.

...

With the remaining two Zengcheng late-season cabbages in hand, Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun returned to the market.

I also made another dish of stir-fried late-season bok choy with cured pork. We had plenty of cured pork at home, and this time we ate our fill. The late-season bok choy seemed to taste even better afterward.

After tasting it, Yi Dinggan commented, "Jiazhi, no wonder you went to great lengths to find it; the taste is indeed unique."

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "So have you thought it through? Who do you recommend to Zengcheng this time? If no one recommends anyone, I'll choose myself."

With the construction of a new base, a new farm manager will naturally emerge.

Yi Dinggan drank his wine in a sullen mood, saying, "Both are my flesh and blood, sigh, you choose, I'll be upset no matter who you choose."

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go with Deliang and Yongfeng."

"Why did you choose two?!"

"Because they might build two new vegetable markets, or even three, then Lao Guo will have to be transferred out!"

"..."

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "You said the main point is to make money by growing vegetables, and I decided to open a new vegetable market after listening to your advice."

But surely opening new vegetable markets shouldn't be as rapid as drinking water? Yi Dinggan said, "Wouldn't that be too aggressive? Vegetable prices have been rather flat lately."

Chen Jiazhi: "Do you even know what a structural bull market is?"

Yi Dinggan pondered for a moment, then became eager to try again; he was very familiar with this!

"I understand betting on market trends."

"You don't know anything! All you do is gamble all day long. I have so many strengths, but you insist on focusing on that little bit of gambling!"

Chen Jiazhi felt that this unhealthy trend was hard to reverse. Was gambling on the market really that addictive?
He only gambles two, three... four, five... six, or seven times a year.
It seems like it's quite addictive to bet on the market.

"What I mean by a structural bull market is that we ultimately win premium sales in the market by virtue of our excellent quality, stable supply, and reliable service."

Take Zengcheng late-season cabbage, for example. If it were packaged in a high-end box and sold in a luxury hotel or supermarket, would its price be the same?

Gambling on market trends isn't out of the question, but from the customer's perspective, a stable supply is far more important.

Yi Dinggan had witnessed the premium brought by quality and the long-term customers brought by stable supply through Chen Jiazhi.

But you know what? Betting on market trends is more memorable and more exciting!
However, from a long-term perspective, quality, stability, and service are definitely more important.

With its unique texture, Zengcheng late-season cabbage certainly has the potential to stand out when prices are low.

"Okay, I'll mention it to them. You can talk to them again and see if they've decided when to go to Zengcheng?"

“There’s still time,” Chen Jiazhi said. “Zengcheng late-season cabbage is a winter-grown vegetable, usually sown and seedlings raised in October. It’s possible that the Shuidong mustard base will be able to get it done faster.”

Yi Dinggan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. The market will have time to adjust its arrangements. You'll also be responsible for appointing the new group leaders." "Okay."

Yi Dinggan rarely interfered with finances and personnel matters, always focusing on production management.

That's reassuring.

...

After Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun's family approved of the taste of the late-ripening cabbage, they embarked on a market research trip.

Starting from Panyu, the route goes to Zhongshan and Jiangmen, then through Yangjiang...

During that time, he visited the core vegetable wholesale markets in each city.

In his brand-new notebook, he also recorded data such as the price, quantity, and consumer preferences for each type of vegetable.

They even visited vegetable farms along the way, recording the varieties of vegetables, their growth periods, and approximate areas.

It took more than a week to finally arrive in Maoming.

As one of the main bases for transporting southern vegetables from Guangdong to the north, it is also in the peak season for the sale of early winter vegetables.

Purchasing stations, trading stations, and wholesale markets throughout Maoming are all operating at full capacity, with vegetables piled up like mountains.

The tricycles, tractors, and other vehicles encountered on the road are often fully loaded with various vegetables.

Meanwhile, in the three counties and one district of Huazhou, Gaozhou, Dianbai, and Maonan, the vast majority of townships have large-scale vegetable bases for transporting vegetables to the north.

The variety of vegetables is extremely rich, ranging from bell peppers and chili peppers to cucumbers, winter melons, eggplants, cauliflower, tomatoes, and green beans.

Accommodation has also become very convenient.

Because the local vegetable trading community is very large, Chen Jiazhi sees colleagues from all over the country every day.

However, problems were also discovered: storage and transportation could not keep up, and it was difficult to find railcars, resulting in batches of vegetables rotting on the loading docks.

Many people use road transport. A truckload of 10 tons of vegetables can cost 8000 to 11000 yuan just to transport from Maoming to Shanghai.

Chen Jiazhi and Xue Jun drive their Isuzu pickup trucks around Maoming, and farmers often ask them if they want to buy vegetables.

"Hey fellow villager, I'm here to buy mustard greens, not green peppers. Do you know where in Shuidong they grow mustard greens?"

"Then I don't know."

Once the topic of not buying vegetables comes up, most farmers lose interest in the conversation, but there are also some kind-hearted ones.

At that time, Shuidong Town was also a production area for vegetables transported from the south to the north, and most of the farmland in the town was planted with vegetables transported from the north.

Mustard greens are generally not grown in vegetable production bases in northern China.

Finally, guided by a kind person, Chen Jiazhi arrived at a place called Peng Village.

Here, many small households grow mustard greens, and their main markets are Guangzhou and Zhanjiang.

It sells well in the market, but it hasn't achieved scale, and no one has specifically built a brand for it.

This is good news for Chen Jiazhi.

The quality of Shuidong mustard greens is best in winter, and his arrival was perfectly timed.

In a farmer's vegetable field, he gently broke off the stem of a water mustard green, and the snapping sound was quite pleasant.

"My mustard greens are delicious. You can eat them raw without any bitterness. They're also great when blanched or stir-fried."

Vegetable farmer Liu Haitao simply broke off a piece of mustard green and put it in his mouth to chew.

Because of the bitterness of mustard greens, Chen Jiazhi has never tried blanching them.

But since Liu Haitao dared to eat it raw, he believed him and even broke off a piece to eat raw himself. It was tender, crisp, juicy, and slightly sweet.

He couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Delicious!"

"I didn't lie, did I?" Receiving approval, Liu Haitao was in a good mood. "Boss, want to buy?"

Chen Jiazhi nodded and said, "I'll buy it, but I'll have to wait two days."

Liu Haitao was instantly disappointed, saying that the merchants who waited two days usually didn't come in the end.

However, his expression changed when Chen Jiazhi mentioned paying a deposit in advance.

"Boss, don't worry, I, Lao Liu, am a man of my word. If I say I'll save it for you for a few days, I'll save it for a few days!"

"Haha, good." Chen Jiazhi gazed at the bay. "Old Liu, have you ever thought about expanding the business?"

He had met several mustard farmers, and Liu Haitao's mustard greens tasted the best.

There are also differences in the quality of Shuidong mustard greens.

Liu Haitao shook his head and said, "I'm too busy to handle it all. I've also planted other vegetables."

Chen Jiazhi suggested, "You grow mustard greens so well, why bother growing other vegetables? Just grow mustard greens exclusively, and I'll buy all your mustard greens from now on!"

Liu Haitao silently smoked, not responding.

Chen Jiazhi stopped trying to persuade him, paid the deposit, left his contact information, and headed towards Zhanjiang.

Compared to Maoming, Zhanjiang, which is also a major base for transporting southern vegetables to the north, is in no way inferior.

Civilian railway lines, warehouses, cargo yards, ice factories, wholesale markets, and even the roadside weaving of bamboo baskets and straw mats have all formed a major industry.

As Chen Jiazhi traveled back and forth, the data in his notebook continued to accumulate.

(End of this chapter)