1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 399 Broccoli on the Market

As dawn breaks, the vegetable base in Fanrong Village comes alive.

The tricycle sputtered as it unloaded stacks of vegetable baskets on the narrow path of the market.

The Shanghai bok choy in the nearby vegetable field was a bright green, with tender flower buds on top. The romaine lettuce still had glistening dewdrops on it, and the broccoli was full of plump flower heads. Even the dark brown open ground was filled with the fragrance of soil.

Farmers wearing yellow rubber shoes gathered from all around the market and poured into the vegetable fields.

Ao Dehai stood under a small tree, smoking a cigarette, watching the vibrant scene with a smile on his face.

In just six months, a vegetable market was built from scratch, and a sense of pride welled up within me.

Now, the market has found a way to survive, and the total investment of 400 million yuan is seeing hope of breaking even.

Just then, a person walked out of the office made of corrugated iron shed. "Director Ao, the boss has replied to your message."

"What did you say?" Ao Dehai stepped forward and offered Tan Wangji a cigarette.

Tan Wangji said, "Let's decide based on the situation. Broccoli can be priced appropriately. In addition, we need to quickly adjust the planting structure and focus on export orders, as the production at headquarters can't keep up."

"Okay, I understand. The planting varieties have been adjusted. The plants sown a few days ago are all Chinese cabbage and kale. The yield will be higher by the end of the month."

After a pause, Ao Dehai asked again, "Manager Tan, how should we raise the price of broccoli?"

Tan Wangji shrugged. "The boss only told us to be bold and suggest suggestions, but he didn't give us a specific number."

Ao Dehai took a puff of his cigarette and asked doubtfully, "What exactly does 'bold' mean? What if we scare people away?"

Tan Wangji pondered for a moment and said, "Both Japanese companies have expressed their desire to exclusively purchase 200 acres of broccoli. I estimate their desire to acquire the goods is quite strong. Testing the waters should prevent them from backing out."

"In addition, Malaysian and Singaporean merchants are also very interested. If we run away from the Japanese, we can still have Southeast Asia as a backup plan, so we won't be unable to sell our products."

"I guess that's why the boss encouraged us to make bold suggestions, hoping to squeeze some money out of the Japanese."

Ao Dehai now felt more confident. Going through Japan would be the best option, as it would save on shipping costs and reduce the risks associated with sea transport.

But if things go wrong, there's always Southeast Asia as a backup plan, so you can definitely bring it up without hesitation.

"How about we try offering 8 yuan per jin? Whoever is willing to pay that price, we'll agree to sell all the broccoli to them?"

"What if both companies agree to pay 8 yuan per jin?"

Ao Dehai took a drag of his cigarette and asked, "So, what do you suggest we do?"

Tan Wangji said, "I think we should let the Japanese quote themselves. They understand the Japanese market best and know their competitors best. Their quotes will be more accurate than ours."

"Okay, that's it."

"Then I'll go and make contact with the Japanese first."

It's a seller's market now, and neither of them sees anything wrong with it.

Since the Japanese want to cover everything, the prices for subsequent orders, in addition to those already under contract, will naturally have to change.

After taking a few steps, Tan Wangji reminded him again: "Director Ao, you need to keep an eye on the quality. The pass rate and output must be guaranteed, but the quality and specifications must meet other people's requirements, otherwise it will be very disadvantageous for us later."

"Understood, I'll keep an eye on it."

The price increase won't be immediate; it needs to be announced first.

Ao Dehai pushed out his bicycle and rode towards the vegetable field.

The broccoli was harvested this morning, but other vegetables are also being harvested continuously.

The Japanese not only wanted to buy broccoli, but the last shipment of leafy greens to Japan also received a very good response, so both companies placed orders again, each for two full containers.

One container is worth $2.2, two containers are worth $4.4, which is equivalent to RMB 36.56.

If two containers of goods, or 40 tons of vegetables, can be shipped out a week, the market can barely manage.

But any more than that would be a bit difficult.

After all, besides the 200 mu of broccoli, there are only about 300 mu of land left to use, and the land utilization rate is far less efficient than that of the headquarters.

As he cycled along the way, Ao Dehai felt that there was still much room for improvement in the market.

He didn't think it was that difficult.

The experience he gained from the Dongxiang and Jiangxin vegetable markets provided him with little help in terms of market channels, but it did teach him what elements are needed for a high-yield, high-quality vegetable market.

He's a professional at growing vegetables.

Moreover, they know the path to their goal.

The bicycle was parked in the broccoli field. The temperature was still quite low, and the morning dew had dried. The vegetable workers were all wearing long sleeves, holding knives and bending over to cut vegetables in the field. The team leaders were also patrolling back and forth, shouting out the technical requirements.

"First, select the flower heads that are the right size for harvesting."

"Remember to leave 10-12 centimeters of flower stem and 3-4 leaves to protect the flower head."

Handle with care.

Don't fill the basket too full!

As you ride from one end of the field to the other and back, vegetable workers load broccoli heads onto tricycles and transport them back to the cold storage.

Ao Dehai also rode back on the tricycle.

The cold storage was already in operation, but the broccoli wasn't rushed into the cold storage for pre-cooling. Instead, it was being selected and sorted in the area outside the cold storage.

Since it was the first time preparing the goods, Ao Dehai paid special attention to this step. When sending out samples, he selected workers to train them and even specially transferred his wife, Zhao Yu, to be in charge of this step.

He stared intently at it.

Loose, discolored, or diseased flower heads are removed. Some workers also use knives to trim the flower stems and leaves to ensure an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Only the final qualified products are neatly arranged and put into the warehouse for pre-cooling and preservation.

A moment later, Zhao Yu picked up a broccoli, intending to put it into the qualified product list, but hesitated for a moment.

Ao Dehai advised, "Do not put any items with defects or that you are unsure about into the warehouse."

Zhao Yu put the broccoli into the basket for defective products and asked, "Won't this affect the pass rate and output?"

Ao Dehai smiled and pointed to the selected qualified and substandard products. "Do you think our pass rate is very low?"

Zhao Yu looked over, then paused, "What Boss Chen said is that the pass rate for broccoli exported from China to Japan is generally only 20%." "That's just scaremongering."

"Oh~ I knew it, it's not that exaggerated."

Ao Dehai thought to himself, "It's also possible that we did a good enough job. When Boss Chen said that the pass rate was only 20%, it didn't seem like he was just bluffing; it was the truth."

He recalled that they used many tips and tricks in the process of growing this batch of broccoli. There were planting plans and technical standards for everything, including seedling cultivation, transplanting, fertilization and watering, pest and disease management, and flower head management.

Without these measures and experience, the chances of broccoli becoming loose, discolored, or suffering from pests and diseases will greatly increase, ultimately affecting the quality and yield.

Growing vegetables is like that; negligence in any step can lead to failure, let alone meeting export standards.

If a vegetable farmer is learning to grow broccoli entirely on their own, the success rate might only be 20%.

But he is not.

In addition to his experience in growing broccoli at the Dongxiang vegetable market, the owner also provided him with a very detailed planting plan.

This is the foundation of his success.

Time passed slowly, and Ao Dehai looked up at the sky. The sunlight never managed to penetrate the clouds; it was a cloudy day.

Such weather is perfect for harvesting.

Good luck has arrived; even God is on his side.

As the harvest progresses, more and more of the first batch of goods are being stored in the warehouse.

Ao Dehai shuttled between the vegetable fields and the cold storage, his face beaming with increasing joy.

Both output and pass rate far exceeded expectations.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Tan Wangji received a fax from Japan and, waving the document, called Ao Dehai back.

"Director Ao, take a look at this, the new quote is out!"

"I don't understand either," Ao Dehai said. "Manager Tan, just tell me straight, whose price is higher, and how much per kilogram?"

"Taihang Co., Ltd. in Fukuoka is offering a price of 9.8 yuan per jin (0.5 catties)! Green plums are priced at 9.6 yuan per jin! It's only a tiny difference!"

Ao Dehai was speechless with surprise. The price was unexpectedly high, but the fact that the two companies' prices were similar proved that the Japanese market could fully accept this price.

"Great, great, does that mean we'll be cooperating with Taihang from now on?"

Tan Wangji waved the documents in his hand. "I've looked at the new contract. Apart from the price and the requirement for exclusivity, the other terms haven't changed. I think we can sign it!"

"Okay, sign!"

The thought of the price of 9.8 yuan per kilogram made Ao Dehai eager to get started, as it was more than two yuan higher per kilogram than the original contract!

Unfortunately, we still have to wait two or three days to sign the contract. Meanwhile, Taihang Corporation will send people over to coordinate and supervise the process.

The harvested goods need to be shipped out tonight, and thinking of this, Ao Dehai hurriedly went out to emphasize the quality again.

For the contract to be signed smoothly, there can be no problems with this batch of goods.

Even without the price increase, the total value of the two containers of broccoli to be shipped out tonight is 60 yuan!

If the price is raised, the total value of a container of 20 tons of broccoli will be as high as nearly 40 yuan!

Ao Dehai's excitement was palpable; he was still watching the loading process until the early hours of the morning.

This batch of broccoli arrived at Hakata Port and Tokyo Port as scheduled.

The goods were fine, but Saito Yo and Murata Naohito had completely different feelings.

Saito Yo and Yoshikawa Masaru were extremely satisfied and had a drink together that evening.

The shadow fell over Qingguo Co., Ltd., which lost to Taihang by a mere 2 cents.

The only good news is that the vegetables are selling quite well.

...

Huacheng, reliable fresh produce.

in the office.

Chen Jiazhi also learned the details of the bustling vegetable market in Shanghai.

"The average yield is 2400 jin per mu, the pass rate is about 80%, and 1920 jin per mu are available for export."

"It costs 9.8 yuan per kilogram, and the output value per mu is over 1.8 yuan."

"200 mu is worth 360 million yuan."

"With the addition of vegetable exports, the sales volume of Fanrong Vegetable Market in May is estimated to reach 5 million yuan."

"The total investment in the market is 400 million yuan. After this month, we will not only break even, but we may also make a profit."

After a moment's thought, Chen Jiazhi felt that this was a very successful investment.

After all, the costs were recovered in just six months, including numerous infrastructure projects such as cold storage.

There is still a lot of room for development in the future of farmers' markets.

With stable foreign trade orders secured, the bustling vegetable market will be a money-making machine for a period of time.

Sure enough, for him, running a vegetable market was the most profitable business.

However, since seedlings and seeds are crucial for the future, we cannot abandon our investment in them.

"I knew you'd be hiding here drinking tea!"

While he was thinking, Huang Jianyuan, dressed in a suit and with a ruddy complexion, walked in. "President Chen, don't slack off. The Conghua Municipal Government has invited us to conduct an inspection."

Just then, the landline phone on the table rang.

After listening for a while, Chen Jiazhi said, "What a coincidence, Zengcheng has also come knocking on our door."

(End of this chapter)