1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 390 An unexpected surprise
At the entrance of the Canton Fair Complex, the dense drizzle did not dampen people's enthusiasm, and the crowds queuing to enter were densely packed.

Chen Jiazhi, wearing a temporary delegate badge he bought for 300 yuan around his neck, entered the venue once again.

Suddenly, he saw someone who looked somewhat familiar, so he quickened his pace and followed.

"Naohito Murata, I never expected to run into him here~"

Chen Jiazhi's eyes flickered. He certainly didn't come to the Canton Fair for sightseeing. Given his status, he would definitely go to the agricultural and sideline products exhibition area.

"Perhaps there will be an unexpected gain today."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and walked back to the stairwell he had been at a few days ago, expertly handing out business cards and flyers.

A moment later, a foreigner with yellow skin stopped in front of him, holding a flyer and asking for information about the cabbage.

Chen Jiazhi awkwardly communicated with him and asked where he came from.

"So rare~ So rare~"

Chen Jiazhi muttered a few words to himself before realizing that the person was from Thailand.

A new map has been developed.

Thailand is also in Southeast Asia, which gave Chen Jiazhi a sample to refer to when quoting prices.

"Let me think about it some more, I'll come find you later, or I'll call you."

The Thai man pointed to the brochures and business cards in his hand, and then went to other parts of the exhibition hall.

Reflecting on the other person's words, Chen Jiazhi muttered, "This person probably bought dried vegetables in Thailand; the smell is too strong."

The phrases "Let me take another look" and "I'll come find you later" are like the catchphrases of a scumbag, keeping wholesalers hanging on.

"However, my English is getting better and better."

"As expected, there's no future in learning 'mute English'; you still need to practice speaking more."

As if he had found his rhythm, Chen Jiazhi became more proactive when handing out flyers.

He wasn't used to shouting at wholesale markets, but he was very enthusiastic at the Canton Fair.

In this way, even though his English was still very poor, Chen Jiazhi was able to communicate with most people by using gestures.

Despite the pressure, inspiration would occasionally strike, and some of the words I had memorized were used in actual communication.

It feels pretty good. After learning bird language for so long, it's finally coming in handy.

However, after handing out flyers at the entrance of the building for an hour or two, Naohito Murata still hadn't arrived.

"I hope those Japanese devils aren't going to come here."

During a break, Chen Jiazhi looked into the distance, searching among the passing crowd.

Upon closer inspection, he indeed spotted Naohito Murata wearing a dark suit.

"The mushrooms they sell there seem to be from Gutian, Fujian."

Chen Jiazhi had a general idea of ​​what products were available in the nearby exhibition areas, and when he saw Murata Naohito buying shiitake mushrooms, he knew exactly what was going on.

He stared at it for a while and noticed that Naohito Murata was talking to someone next to him from time to time. They didn't seem to be superior and subordinate, but rather like friends.

"Mr. Chen, what are you looking at so intently?"

Chen Jiazhi looked away, and Xue Chenglin from Malaysia appeared beside him at some point.

He suddenly had an idea and said truthfully, "There's a Japanese client over there whom I've met before. He might be interested in broccoli. I'm waiting for him to come over."

Xue Chenglin followed his finger and looked over. "President Chen, do you need my help?"

Chen Jiazhi was surprised by his cooperation and smiled, "If President Xue is willing to cooperate, that would be the best."

"Haha, it's no trouble at all," Xue Chenglin said. "Then I'll wander around the area and wait for you to strike up a conversation with him before I come over to help."

Chen Jiazhi quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "President Xue, you absolutely must do me the honor of joining me this time. I'll treat you to dinner tonight, and if you have any other plans, let's meet tomorrow."

Xue Chenglin smiled and said, "President Chen, you're too kind. In that case, let's have a couple of drinks together tonight."

"it is good."

After making the appointment, Xue Chenglin strolled around the surrounding booths, while Chen Jiazhi handed out flyers and occasionally kept an eye on Murata Naohito's movements.

When he noticed that the other person was walking in his direction, the other person had obviously seen him beforehand.

Naohito Murata stepped forward to greet him with some surprise. He not only recognized him, but also remembered that they had agreed to go to Shanghai for an inspection.

Chen Jiazhi also demonstrated excellent acting skills in exchanging pleasantries with him.

After a couple of sentences, they started talking about broccoli.

Chen Jiazhi took out photos and information about the broccoli, saying, "Mr. Murata, this is how our broccoli is growing. Some of the flower heads have already reached a diameter of 5cm, and we can harvest them as early as the end of April or the beginning of May."

Murata took the materials; the photos were relatively intuitive, which made his understanding of the broccoli farm more comprehensive and his interest even stronger.

At that time, China's vegetable exports to Japan were just beginning and did not pose competitive pressure on Japanese domestic agricultural products, so there was no need for suppression.

The requirements in all aspects are relatively lenient.

As Chen Jiazhi predicted, broccoli is very hard to buy during this period.

For Japanese importers, they do not have to face seasonal tariffs imposed by the Japanese government to protect domestic agricultural products.

Broccoli that can be harvested earlier by avoiding local competition is very popular.

After only a couple of sentences, Naohito Murata regretted it.

He noticed that his old friend, who was traveling with him, was also interested and asked for a copy of the document. After only a short while, the friend excitedly inquired about various details.

This has created more competitors for no reason!

For Chen Jiazhi, communicating with Japanese people was also quite difficult, as their pronunciation sounded very awkward.

There was one sentence he never understood, but he kept hearing the Japanese gesturing at it.

"Mr. Chen, he said he'd like you to send some broccoli samples to Fukuoka, Japan first." "He also asked if you brought samples of other vegetables?"

At that moment, Xue Chenglin appeared at just the right time.

Chen Jiazhi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We can see vegetables such as bok choy, romaine lettuce, and Shanghai bok choy today. Once broccoli and other vegetables have flower heads that meet the standards, we can send samples to Fukuoka as soon as possible."

Xue Chenglin then relayed the information.

Xue Chenglin was secretly surprised by the two Japanese men's interest in broccoli.

He even suspected that this might be a trap within a trap, designed to get him to place a purchase order, but Xue Chenglin quickly dismissed the idea.

The two Japanese men had already asked to see samples of bok choy and other vegetables, and were unwilling to wait a moment longer.

Xue Chenglin regretted coming to help and cooperate; he felt he was about to get caught up in it himself.

But then I thought, if I hadn't happened to show up and learned about the competitors, I might have regretted it even more.

"Mr. Xue, could you please pass on my message and ask them to wait a moment? The samples are in the cold storage and should be delivered to the exhibition hall in half an hour at most."

Xue Chenglin relayed the information, and Chen Jiazhi listened attentively, recalling vocabulary and even memorizing sentences.

A moment later, Naohito Murata and Naohito exchanged a few more words.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Saito and Mr. Murata have requested to visit your cold storage to see the samples."

Chen Jiazhi was a little surprised. "Okay, sure, Mr. Xue, would you like to come along?"

Xue Chenglin shook his head. "President Chen, I won't go. Do you think I don't know the quality of your bok choy?"

“Okay.” Chen Jiazhi said, “President Xue, I’ll come to Yunshan tonight to see you. We must have a couple of drinks together.”

"OK."

Chen Jiazhi felt that Xue Chenglin was a good friend and remembered this kindness.

Without further delay, he led Saito and Murata out of the exhibition hall. The rain was still falling, the air was damp, and visibility was poor.

Just as he was about to head straight to the parking lot, Li Xiu and Mi Ziqi, carrying umbrellas, jogged over from the left corner.

"Jiazhi, what's wrong?"

"I need to take two Japanese businessmen back to the distribution center. Mi Ziqi and I will go back first. Can you wait here for a while?"

"I'm OK."

Without further ado, Chen Jiazhi took Mi Ziqi, Saito, and Murata and set off in his car.

Actually, if the bus were squeezed in a bit more, one more person could fit, but he didn't feel comfortable with it.

Along the way, with Mi Ziqi's translation, Chen Jiazhi also figured out the other person's identity.

Saito Yo, of Japan Taihang Co., Ltd., is active in Fukuoka City in northern Kyushu.

They started importing dried shiitake mushrooms and chilled fresh mushrooms from China several years ago. The business is quite large, and they usually ship 200 to 300 tons at a time.

According to Chen Jiazhi's understanding, Taihang Corporation is larger in scale and more powerful.

This is a good thing for him.

Twenty minutes later, Yoh Saito and Naohito Murata entered the small cold storage room of the distribution center.

Chen Jiazhi explained, "Besides here, I also have a stall in the nearby wholesale market, where I sell about 30 tons of vegetables a day. I also have a 900-mu vegetable market in the suburbs with a 600-cubic-meter cold storage, and a 580-mu base in Shanghai, of which 200 mu are broccoli."

In addition, there are more than 1000 mu of vegetable bases in other cities.

This is the time to demonstrate our strength.

As Mi Ziqi translated, one person was surprised, and two others were satisfied.

The small cold storage rooms at the distribution center usually reserve some vegetables, such as bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, and romaine lettuce.

Saito Yo looked through the vegetables in the styrofoam box for a while, and quickly made a decision.

“Mr. Chen, we can continue our discussion now.”

Chen Jiazhi smiled and invited the two to his office, while also asking Tan Wangji to call Chen Zhengxu to bring Li Xiuxian back.

After pouring tea and water, and waiting for Tan Wangji from the marketing department to take his place, they began to discuss business. The two groups talked together, and as long as the Japanese didn't object, Chen Jiazhi didn't care.

Moreover, with Tan Wangji present, the negotiations became more relaxed.

Since he was using CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) pricing, he first inquired about the demand and the port of arrival.

Saito Yo wanted to fill a container with bok choy, romaine lettuce, and Shanghai bok choy, and requested that it be shipped to Hakata Port in Fukuoka City.

Naohito Murata hesitated for a moment. His target was broccoli, and he also had concerns about the preservation of leafy greens.

However, Saito Yo also had his eye on the broccoli at this moment. If he didn't place an order now, he worried that it would be difficult to buy broccoli later.

After thinking for a while, Naohito Murata had an idea.

“Mr. Chen, my goods are destined for Tokyo Port, which is farther away, so I prefer to ship from Shanghai.”

Saito Yo followed up, saying, "Does the Shanghai base also have bok choy and romaine lettuce? If so, I also prefer to ship from Shanghai, as it's closer to Hakata Port, only 500 nautical miles away."

Chen Jiazhi smiled; this was exactly what he wanted to see, but Murata brought it up first.

It generally takes only 3 to 5 days to travel from Shanghai to Hakata Port and Tokyo Port.

It takes at least 5 to 7 days to get there from the Pearl River Delta.

The two-day time difference is a clear advantage for fresh vegetable exports.

With so many orders coming in all at once, the Shanghai base may not be able to handle them all for the time being.

But these are all minor issues.

Once this channel is secured, the Shanghai base will be fully revitalized.

(End of this chapter)