1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 420 Digging a hole
Kang Ming knocked on the door and entered Chen Guanye's office.

Chen Guanye, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, stopped after signing a document with a fountain pen.

"Boss, Chen Jiazhi from Heli Agriculture just called..."

Chen Guanye is known for his excellent memory; he knows all kinds of economic data in Huacheng by heart. As soon as Kang Ming mentioned his name, he remembered that handsome young man.

After listening to Kang Ming's description, Chen Guanye got up and took a few steps, then laughed and said, "This kid is really something else, with a lot of clever ideas."

Kang Ming sensed no blame in his tone, so he added, "I asked around in Zengcheng, and the Heli Agricultural Base is under construction very quickly and has already entered the sowing stage."

Chen Guanye stopped and looked at the map of Huacheng on the wall.

"As long as real money is invested and there are people doing the work to oversee things, the progress won't be slow. This kid has some ulterior motives, but he's also a man who gets things done."

He said he wanted to sell agricultural products to increase farmers' income, and I guess he really will do it.

The investment of ten to twenty million yuan in the land of three townships will generate substantial consumption and employment, which will be a significant boost to the townships that have just escaped poverty.

Moreover, the other party's attitude towards poverty alleviation was exactly what Chen Guanye wanted.

"After returning from the meeting in Beijing, I'll be preparing for a research trip to Baise. Let him know so he can come along."

"it is good."

"By the way, next time he brings agricultural products, you can keep some to taste. If they're really good, you can help promote them."

Kang Ming was somewhat surprised; such an attitude meant that Chen Guanye was very satisfied with the other party.

But upon closer examination, it's not surprising that poverty alleviation will soon become Chen Guanye's core responsibility.

Heli Agriculture is capable of both doing business and managing agricultural products, which is a great help to poverty alleviation in mountainous areas.

When Chen Jiazhi arrived at the Kaopu Fresh office, it was already noon, and the sun was shining brightly.

There was no one in the office, but there were two more workstations, making it feel even more crowded.

Even the second floor was converted into an office.

To improve management, Kaopu Fresh hired several more people, while Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai continued to manage parts of the market affairs respectively.

Chen Jiazhi's small office was also assigned to Chen Zhengxu, with documents and several books neatly arranged on the desk.

Chen Jiazhi looked at it for a while; it was all work and client records, occasionally interspersed with scribbled notes.

Xue Jun brought in two ripe persimmons, which he had bought from Paitan.

"Two pieces of fruit for dessert, please."

Chen Jiazhi took the persimmon; its skin wasn't very nice, it had scars.

Xue Jun said, "These are all selected by Yi Dinggan. The good ones are sent to hotels, and the slightly less good ones are given to the employees. They taste just as sweet."

Chen Jiazhi peeled the skin, tasted one, and said, "Mmm, delicious, just as good as the ones at home."

Yi Dinggan had already put some good-looking persimmons at home; he wouldn't let his own family suffer by bringing in the bad ones.

People gradually returned to the office; perhaps they had gone to lunch earlier.

Chen Jiazhi was still looking at Chen Zhengxu's work records. The records were very meticulous and detailed, and they also gave Chen Jiazhi a direct understanding of them.

A moment later, Liu Yunfan knocked on the door and entered the small office.

"Mr. Chen, is it convenient for us to talk?"

Chen Jiazhi put down his notebook. "It's convenient. Sit down and let's talk."

There was a wooden chair in the small office. Liu Yunfan sat down upright. "In the past two months, our export orders have been snatched away by our competitors."

Chen Jiazhi continued to brew tea at a leisurely pace.

Liu Yunfan added, "Actually, the company had a good chance of winning these orders, but the company was unwilling to accept them, and the vegetables in the market were mainly supplied to the stalls."

Chen Jiazhi placed a cup of tea in front of Liu Yunfan and asked, "Have you communicated with Li Cai and Qi Yongfeng?"

“We’ve talked, and he always says that the stall business is also very important, and he even told me to come to you,” Liu Yunfan said. “That’s why I came to you.”

After confirming that Li Cai knew about this, Chen Jiazhi said, "I did say that we should prioritize ensuring the stability of the supply of goods for stalls and delivery in the near future."

Liu Yunfan asked in surprise, "Why? Exports are clearly more profitable."

Chen Jiazhi then asked, "Do you think relying solely on exports can guarantee the long-term sales of vegetables in the market?"

“I think it’s feasible.” Liu Yunfan pondered, “This month, the Prosperity Market has relied on the Japanese and Korean markets to handle most of its sales.”

Huacheng is closer to Southeast Asia and backed by Hong Kong and Macau. With so many orders now, it can fully absorb the production of Jiangxin Market.

Chen Jiazhi has been closely monitoring the changes in exchange rates in Southeast Asia.

Entering the second half of the year, due to the US dollar interest rate hike, the currencies of Southeast Asian countries pegged to the US dollar also appreciated rapidly.

Increased purchasing power of currencies has also fueled Southeast Asian countries' strong desire to import vegetables from their own countries.

Several Southeast Asian customers that Reliable Fresh has accumulated have also increased their imports.

Meanwhile, Liu Yunfan's communication with Southeast Asian customers went smoothly, and many people wanted to purchase his goods.

However, due to the priority of ensuring the supply of stalls, the growth potential of exports quickly reached its peak.

If exports are to be further expanded, both stalls and distribution will have to give way to exports to some extent.

After understanding Liu Yunfan's thoughts, Chen Jiazhi also felt that it was only natural; an ambitious salesperson would always think about how to close more deals.

After drinking a cup of tea, Chen Jiazhi slowly said, "I can understand how you feel, but the Southeast Asian economy is not functioning properly right now."

The rapid appreciation of Southeast Asian currencies will inevitably affect their exports, dealing a heavy blow to the economies of export-oriented countries.

Think about it, did our Thai customers use Thai baht or US dollars to buy our vegetables?

Liu Yunfan said, "Of course, it's the US dollar." Chen Jiazhi then said, "But with the Thai baht appreciating sharply, exports have decreased, and the trade deficit has increased. Does Thailand have that much foreign exchange reserves?"

A vegetable farmer who started out as a business owner is talking about the international economic situation in front of a graduate of a prestigious foreign language and trade university?

Liu Yunfan felt a sense of absurdity.

"Does Mr. Chen mean that the Thai economy will collapse, and the Southeast Asian economy will collapse?"

"I don't know." Chen Jiazhi shook his head and said, "I just think there is a great risk. Logically speaking, the foreign exchange reserves of countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia are not enough to support their long-term import of goods, especially relatively luxurious vegetables."

There are risks, so the company naturally needs to have a strategy to deal with them. Export business should be done, but the business volume should not be expanded blindly.

In contrast, consolidating the domestic base, and even expanding...

Liu Yunfan walked out of the office with a heavy heart and went to the restroom to wash his face.

The man in the mirror was wearing an ice-blue shirt, tucked into his trousers, and looked very presentable.

He spent a lot of money to buy this from Hong Kong.

He didn't listen carefully to the boss's last words, but the meaning was clear: the stalls and delivery services would not give way to the exit.

This also means that his income is unlikely to see a significant breakthrough.

Regarding export risks, although the boss has some insights into vegetable foreign trade, he does not believe that a vegetable farmer can accurately analyze the international economic situation.

As someone working in foreign trade, Liu Yunfan often follows financial and economic news, but has not yet seen any similar analysis or reports.

Liu Yunfan was very frustrated that he would miss out on an opportunity to earn more money due to the company's decision.

In the afternoon, he spoke with Fang Shaohua in Shanghai and became even more depressed after learning that the Fanrong Vegetable Market was experiencing a surge in export orders.

"Yunfan, another call from you, it's a client from Malaysia."

"Oh, here we come."

Liu Yunfan answered the phone with little interest.

"Xiao Liu, if there aren't enough reliable fresh produce options, I'll look for other companies."

"Okay, Mr. Pan, the company really doesn't have many vegetables left. I can only take your order after the new base goes into production."

"Uh……"

Hearing the other party's astonishment, Liu Yunfan had no choice but to leave with the words "Let's cooperate again if there's a chance" before hanging up.

"Wait, Xiao Liu," the person addressed as Boss Pan quickly said, "Do you know any vegetable farms you could recommend? Sister Pan will treat you to dinner."

Liu Yunfan frowned. What was he thinking, asking him to provide information about his competitors?

"Mr. Pan, no..."

"Xiao Liu, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. After it's done, Sister Pan will give you a referral fee."

Has the export market become this crazy?

Liu Yunfan actually knew quite a few vegetable markets that were doing vegetable export business.

But it doesn't seem like a good idea to push customers away, especially since he knows the Zengcheng base is about to go into production.

Just considering the company's decision-making direction, even if the Zengcheng base goes into production, exports may still be a priority, and the company doesn't seem to need this customer.

Thinking of this, Liu Yunfan said, "Okay, I know a vegetable market that meets the requirements."

...

In the office, Chen Jiazhi had just finished a phone call with Kang Ming.

Being invited by Chen Guanye to go to Baise means that his value has been recognized by Chen Guanye.

Having the opportunity to speak with such a high-ranking official is a good precaution.

However, it wouldn't be good for the leader to go to Baise empty-handed, and it's likely he wouldn't be able to go empty-handed either.

Fortunately, Kaopu Fresh is indeed operating in the agricultural and sideline products business, so helping mountainous areas sell some products is no problem.

If all else fails, we can also sponsor some impoverished students in mountainous areas.

Chen Jiazhi stayed there from noon until the afternoon, until the sun went down, before Li Cai, who was dozing off, finally came to the office.

"God of Wealth, did you go out with your girlfriend again this morning? Come sit down for a while and have a cup of tea to refresh yourself."

"Yeah, I only have time to be romantic in the morning. Once it gets dark, it's time for me to go to work, so it's not convenient to date then."

Li Cai didn't sit down; he drank his tea standing up and then prepared to go to the market.

Chen Jiazhi added, "What's the rush? Sit down for a while. Liu Yunfan talked to me about the export this afternoon."

Li Cai raised an eyebrow and sat down. Chen Jiazhi refilled his tea and they talked about what happened that afternoon.

Stabilizing exports and strengthening the development of the domestic market are established strategies that will not change.

But Liu Yunfan also mentioned that there were competitors for export orders, which made Chen Jiazhi curious about who the competitors were.

At the same time, a sudden idea struck him: since orders in Southeast Asia were so hot, why not add fuel to the fire and make more competitors shift their focus overseas?

Meanwhile, Kaopu Fresh took the opportunity to expand its domestic market.

If the Southeast Asian economy really runs into trouble, it would be a win-win situation.

Li Cai was surprised when he heard this: "This idea is a bit wicked, but I like it."

Chen Jiazhi smiled and asked, "Where did Zhengxu go? I haven't seen him all afternoon. Does he have a girlfriend now?"

"No, he won't go even if I introduce him to pretty girls, and he won't go fishing either. He's always focused on his work."

(End of this chapter)