1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 355 originated from two dishes

"I never expected Zhanjiang's economy to be so developed; it seems to be just as good as Guangzhou's!"

As Chen Jiazhi left yet another wholesale market, he made another note in his notebook, just as he heard Xue Jun sigh.

"It's probably still a bit worse than Guangzhou, but it's definitely very strong."

This was also his first time in Zhanjiang. He strolled around the city looking for wholesale markets and could feel the prosperity of the place.

Xue Jun asked curiously, "What industries does Zhanjiang have that make its economy so developed?"

“It can’t be growing vegetables.” Chen Jiazhi opened the door and got into the car. “Let’s go, to the next location.”

Xue Jun also started his light truck, "But Zhanjiang has a lot of vegetables, and its vegetable industry is very developed. This trip has really broadened my horizons."

As the southernmost prefecture-level city in mainland China, Zhanjiang's winter and early spring vegetable production has developed rapidly since the reform and opening up.

Before the reform and opening up, the bases for transporting southern vegetables from Guangdong to the north were located in the suburbs of Guangzhou, Panyu, Nanhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan and other places. After the reform and opening up, they were replaced by Zhanjiang and Maoming and their subordinate cities and counties, which took advantage of the more favorable climate and abundant land resources.

Chen Jiazhi sat in the car and flipped through his notebook for a while. In fact, most of the vegetable data he had recorded in Maoming and Zhanjiang was not useful.

Chen Jiazhi will not be planting many vegetables this year; his focus will mainly be on leafy greens.

The data from Zhanjiang and Maoming can only be used as a reference, but since we've come all this way, we definitely want to make sure the trip is complete.

From Lianjiang and Suixi to the urban area of ​​ZJ, only Leizhou and Xuwen remain as the bases for transporting southern vegetables to the north in Guangdong.

At that time, without navigation, you could only rely on paper maps to figure out the way, or ask people for directions.

Moreover, because the Leizhou Peninsula lacks surface water, vegetable bases are concentrated in areas with water sources, and often it takes crossing various forest farms to get from one vegetable base to the next.

At a fork in the road, the two got lost; it wasn't marked on the map.

When a man who looked like a vegetable farmer passed by, Xue Jun offered him a cigarette and asked, "Brother, could you tell me how to get to Longmen Village?"

The vegetable farmer looked gloomy, didn't accept the cigarette, mumbled something in English, and left. The two men didn't understand much of what he said, but they knew it wasn't anything nice.

"Who is this person?"

Xue Jun wanted to argue further, but Chen Jiazhi stopped him, saying, "Forget it, just ask someone else."

After waiting for a while, led by a tricycle driver, we finally arrived at a new vegetable base, where large areas of bell peppers and chili peppers came into view.

According to Chen Jiazhi's observation, in Zhanjiang, green peppers are the absolute mainstay of the southern vegetables transported to the north at this time, accounting for more than 50%.

Among them, Zhongjiao No. 5 has also been promoted in Zhanjiang, and its popularity is quite high this year. Many growers know this variety.

Cigarettes build bridges, and alcohol paves the way; after offering cigarettes, Chen Jiazhi could chat easily with most of the vegetable farmers.

After talking with some farmers at the base, he also heard about Zhongjiao No. 5, but not many people were planting it.

"Brother, Zhongjiao No. 5 is a very good sweet pepper variety, why don't you plant it?"

Jiang Yaowu sighed, "I'm afraid of buying fake seeds. This year, a family here bought fake seeds, and their plants withered before they even flowered or bore fruit. Even if they did flower, they didn't bear much fruit. They were always gloomy and would curse anyone they met. They were cursing people in the field just now, and they've only been gone for a short while."

Xue Jun, who was standing to the side, was stunned. The description sounded a bit like the person who had asked for directions earlier. No wonder he had such a bad temper.

Chen Jiazhi's attention was more focused on the fake seeds. He remembered that CCTV had indeed exposed a large number of counterfeit and inferior seeds of Zhongjiao No. 5, and the vegetable farmers in Zhanjiang were the ones who suffered.

But that will take another two years.

How come it's available now?
Zhongjiao No. 5 has only been promoted for two or three years.

It can only be said that piracy is rampant.

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "We should still buy seeds from reputable agricultural supply stores."

Jiang Yaowu, with a cigarette in his mouth and a hint of sarcasm, said, "Even legitimate shops with all the necessary business licenses are still vulnerable to being scammed."

Zhongjiao No. 5 is currently the best sweet pepper variety in China, and it's not far from becoming a nationwide sensation.

Now fake seeds have appeared, and some farmers have fallen victim to them. Once the seeds become widely available, the situation will likely become even more serious.

Chen Jiazhi seized upon a fleeting thought: Is there a market for building seedling nurseries in western Guangdong?
The scale of winter vegetable cultivation in western Guangdong is enormous, and with the improvement of water conservancy projects, the area will expand rapidly, creating a huge demand for seeds and seedlings.

Green peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and various melons are all vegetables suitable for grafting and seedling cultivation.

Alternatively, you can sell high-quality seedlings directly without grafting, such as Zhongjiao No. 5.

Yunling Farm also received orders for trial propagation of Zhongjiao No. 5. Although the seed production of Zhongjiao No. 5 at Yunling Farm this year was probably a failure, they can still get genuine products directly from the seed company.

After thinking about it for a while, he decided that the Zhongjiao No. 5 alone was worth a try.

There are also other grafted seedlings.

Along the way, there have been quite a few pests and diseases in the vegetable fields of Maoming and Zhanjiang, after all, winter vegetable cultivation has been developing for more than ten years.

Not only is the variety renewal slow, but there are also many problems with continuous cropping in the soil.

During the subsequent journey and on the return trip, in addition to collecting market and production area information, Chen Jiazhi also analyzed the acceptance level of high-quality seeds and seedlings among vegetable farmers in western Guangdong.

Vegetable farmers are generally conservative and more willing to believe in successful experiences.

Only a small percentage of people are willing to try new things.

But some things are better done sooner rather than later.

Chen Jiazhi was well aware that, apart from leafy greens from the suburbs, the market for most mainstream vegetables would be sluggish and declining in the coming years. The underlying reason was the continuously increasing vegetable planting area.

It's bad for vegetable farmers, but selling seeds and seedlings is a great opportunity.

He felt this was an opportunity, and he now had the ability to seize it.

...

The return trip will be much faster.

Chen Jiazhi arrived in Shuidong Town again. After waiting for half a day, Liu Haitao cut a truckload of mustard greens for him. The purchase price was 4 cents per pound, which was cheaper than most winter-grown vegetables transported to the north, and the output value was also relatively lower.

It's no wonder that the local Shuidong mustard greens industry is not yet large-scale and profitable, so naturally no one is pushing it.

Without promotion, the product's quality advantage is unlikely to command a premium.

Chen Jiazhi decided to be the first to try the crab, loaded it into his car and paid for it. He also had a very good impression of Liu Haitao.

"Old Liu, I should be able to buy more mustard greens later. I'll call you then."

“Okay, I also have a mustard greens patch. I can plant them a few days later.”

Liu Haitao was all smiles, because Chen Jiazhi offered a purchase price that was 5 cents higher per jin, and he wanted a larger quantity.

Chen Jiazhi then said, "Old Liu, why don't you plant mustard greens for the next crop? I'll buy them all for you."

"One crop of vegetables" is a common way of describing vegetables in Maoming and Guangdong.

Except for the hottest period of summer, Shuidong mustard greens can be planted multiple times a year.

However, if you want the best taste, Chen Jiazhi estimates that planting four or five crops a year is more appropriate, and letting the soil rest and recover the rest of the time.

To build a good regional brand, one should pay more attention to reputation.

This kind of thing is actually best handled by the government, but Chen Jiazhi only plans to build a corporate brand for the time being.

Having successfully completed the first transaction, and with the other party being straightforward and easygoing, Liu Haitao said, "Okay, I can plant some more mustard greens next time."

"Trust me, it's best to get more."

With a wave of his hand, Chen Jiazhi left. There were vegetables in the car, and he didn't want to waste a moment.

After driving for more than eight or nine hours, the Isuzu truck, fully loaded with water mustard, arrived at the Kaopu Fresh Baiyun Distribution Center in the early hours of the morning.

There was a newly isolated small cold storage room in the sorting workshop. Since the water mustard was not pre-cooled, Chen Jiazhi had someone put it in the cold storage first.

He and Xue Jun picked a water mustard plant to take back to their dormitory, where they cooked and ate.

As soon as the dishes were ready, Chen Zhengxu pushed open the door and entered, as if he had smelled the aroma.

"Uncle, is the mustard greens in the cold storage the same as the Shuidong mustard greens? I saw them, they're very crisp and tender." He glanced at the dining table after entering the room and asked in surprise, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, it's freshly made. Come and try it, stir-fried mustard greens."

Before returning, Chen Jiazhi called Chen Zhengxu and asked him to buy a piece of pork fat.

The best way to stir-fry mustard greens is to cut pork fat into chunks, render the lard, and then stir-fry the tender tips of the mustard greens. Finally, add pork cracklings and stir-fry until cooked. This makes for a delicious dish.

It has a pleasant fragrance just from smelling it.

Chen Zhengxu picked up a piece with his chopsticks. The dish looked emerald green and glossy. It was crisp and tender with no residue when he tasted it. It had a light caramelized aroma at first, and a sweet aftertaste after chewing.

"good to eat!"

The delicate texture left him wanting more, and when he came to his senses, he saw the other two eating one bite after another.

"Hey, leave some for me!"

"And if that's not enough, you can cook another plate."

Chen Jiazhi is not a glutton and originally did not have high demands for food, but after tasting Zengcheng late-season cabbage and Shuidong mustard greens one after another, he couldn't help but sigh that there was a reason why so many people praised them.

In a short while, the small plate of food was gone.

Chen Zhengxu sighed, "Good ingredients really do make a difference in dishes!"

Chen Jiazhi raised an eyebrow and said, "Even the best ingredients need the right cooking method. My cooking skills deserve at least half the credit for making this dish so delicious."

“That makes sense. My stir-fried late-season bok choy with cured pork is pretty good too.” Chen Zhengxu stroked his chin. “Uncle, are you not planning to sell the water mustard greens in the cold storage?”

"Sell? It's a waste to sell such good vegetables at a stall!" Chen Jiazhi had already thought of a solution. "We'll give all of these mustard greens away for free to restaurants, hotels, and other customers!"

Chen Zhengxu had anticipated this, "but there are too many vegetables. Even if all the customers send several kilograms, we still can't use them all."

Chen Jiazhi said, "We can deliver to non-customers as well, and we don't limit ourselves to Guangzhou. We can also deliver to high-end hotels in cities such as Foshan, Zhongshan, and Shenzhen!"
We can use Zengcheng late-season cabbage and Shuidong mustard greens as starting points to open up more markets, build new distribution points, and eventually cover the entire Pearl River Delta region!

Such a goal was quite ambitious, and both Chen Zhengxu and Xue Jun were slightly taken aback.

The two looked down at the food on their plates again. It was delicious, but they couldn't guarantee that it would gain wider acceptance.

Moreover, establishing a complete chain from planting at the base to final distribution requires substantial financial investment, which is not just talk.

And all of this was because of two dishes.

(End of this chapter)