1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 471 A blow to the head

The following day, Chen Jiazhi did not accompany Chen Daguan on the research trip. Instead, he went directly to the county party committee and the agricultural bureau to select a site for the sugar orange base.

In just one morning, Chen Jiazhi settled on Bada Town, where the county government is located, as the base was established.

The transportation and living environment around the county town are more convenient. If it is too far away, it will have a great impact on the subsequent construction of the plantation.

Chen Jiazhi was indeed optimistic about planting sugar oranges in Xilin, a subjective judgment he made after understanding the various natural conditions.

Growing fruits and vegetables actually have something in common: climate, water, and soil. If you want them to be sweet, you also need a large temperature difference between day and night.

Xilin County meets all of these conditions.

As for the business environment?

Chen Jiazhi's original intention was to befriend Chen Guanye. Even if he lost, it would still be worthwhile. Besides, with this relationship, the local authorities wouldn't go too far.

He naturally charged forward.

As for investing 10 million over three years, that's a huge amount. If it's just a regular base, it could easily cover 10,000 mu.

For the first three years, Chen Jiazhi only planned to develop 1,000 mu (approximately 67 hectares), which would cost about one million yuan.

Because after introducing sugar oranges, it is necessary to adapt them to the local climate and carry out variety improvement before large-scale expansion is more reliable.

His asking for ten million was merely to save face for Chen Guanye.

Having discussed projects with the government extensively, Chen Jiazhi also understood that a certain amount of boasting was necessary.

Besides, he really intends to do it properly.

What Chen Jiazhi didn't know was that in the original timeline, tangerines were only introduced to Xilin County in 2002, but now, by chance, the introduction time has been brought forward by five or six years.

In the afternoon, after returning to Baise from Xilin, Chen Jiazhi first went to the sugar orange nursery on the outskirts of the city.

After nearly a year of care by the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the trees are now thriving.

However, it still needs to be transported to Xilin later.

Xue Jun also came to Baise. In Tianyang, Kaopu Fresh invested in a fruit transfer and purchasing station there.

When Chen Jiazhi was on his way to Nanning Airport, he made a special stop in Tianyang to talk with Xue Jun about his plan to invest in and build a base in Xilin.

Xue Jun sorted out his thoughts and said, "First of all, we need to recruit people. We need to introduce the species, and we also need manpower for the preliminary work such as acquiring land."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "Hiring people is a must. I'm considering finding base management talent from Sihui, and at the same time recruiting a few students from universities for training. I'll ask my brother-in-law later if he'd be willing to come to Xilin."

Xue Jun nodded and said, "Yes, that makes more sense."

With experienced professional management talent, backup technical support, and supervision from relatives, this combination should be able to successfully cultivate the trees in the early stages.

Chen Jiazhi only sees this as a long-term investment. For him, obtaining the export qualification as soon as possible is the more important thing at present.

"I have already communicated with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and they will be responsible for introducing sugar oranges to Xilin. Kaopu Fresh will provide financial support."

However, you'll have to find the management personnel yourself. Once you've recruited them, hurry up and acquire the land so you can try planting two or three hundred acres of trees next spring.

"it is good."

They had to catch a flight, so their conversation was brief. Chen Jiazhi could only get to the point, and after leaving the phone number of the Xilin County Committee, he hurriedly returned to Huacheng.

It was late at night when we arrived. Compared to the chilly night in Xilin, Huacheng was still a bit hot.

After leaving the airport, Chen Guanye forced himself to be energetic and joked, "Mr. Chen, shall I give you a ride to Jiangnan Market on the way?"

"Let's skip it today, boss. My wife and kids are waiting at home, and the company has arranged a car to pick me up."

"Okay, Mr. Chen, thank you for your hard work on this trip."

"It's not hard."

After arriving home, Chen Jiazhi gently opened the door with his key. The living room light was still on, and Li Xiu was half-asleep on the sofa.

Chen Jiazhi changed his shoes and tiptoed to wash up. When he came out again, Li Xiu was already awake.

"Jiazhi, have you eaten?"

"I ate on the plane, I'm not hungry, let's go to sleep." Chen Jiazhi pulled her into the room and became affectionate.
Sleep until you wake up naturally.

There was no one else at home. Breakfast was laid out on the dining table: steamed buns, porridge, pickled vegetables, and a glass of fresh milk.

Chen Jiazhi sat down and started eating. The steamed buns were filled with pork, and the pickled cabbage was made with white radish. It was a simple breakfast, but it tasted exceptionally refreshing.

After finishing their meal, Chen Jiazhi went outside and ran into Peng Guozhen and Chen Shaochang returning from their walk.

"Jiazhi, off to work?"

"Hmm, Mom and Dad, are you getting used to living here?"

"You're used to it, you're used to it. Go to work now, don't worry about us. We're not old and frail anymore."

Chen Jiazhi was a little skeptical that the two of them would get used to living there; there was quite a difference between the city and the rural markets.

Urged by his parents, Chen Jiazhi finally drove to work.

Peng Guozhen and Chen Shaochang watched the departing Cherokee, then looked at the big house, feeling an indescribable sense of pride.

...

Chen Guanye was very efficient.

Just two days after Chen Jiazhi returned to Huacheng, Kaopu Fresh's application for independent export rights was approved.

This may be the benefit of power.

With independent export rights and more comprehensive testing certificates, Kaopu Fresh's export customer base can be expanded again.

But everything is difficult at the beginning.

In the office, Chen Jiazhi and Ye Junfei, a newly recruited foreign trade salesperson, were busy contacting old clients via fax and telephone.

"Mr. Chen, I am indeed in Huacheng, but I am not considering getting vegetables from Kaopu Fresh for the time being."

"May I ask where Mr. Yu is getting the vegetables from?"

"I can tell you that, from jade."

"Okay, Mr. Yu, let's cooperate again in the future."

Chen Jiazhi's expression did not change at all after being rejected by Yu Hong, a long-time client from Singapore.

"Junfei, how are things on your end?"

"Not really." Ye Junfei was a little discouraged.

Chen Jiazhi said, "It's alright. It's probably because we haven't done exports for too long. The previous break in cooperation did damage our reputation. Let's take it slow, there will be opportunities."

"Hmm~"

Ye Junfei nodded and continued making contacts.

Chen Jiazhi didn't mention cypermethrin to Ye Junfei, wanting to see if Ye Junfei had the patience.

He doesn't like to do business shamelessly, but at least he has to be able to endure the loneliness of having little business in the early stages.

Liu Yunfan is a negative example; the client he poached has now rejected Chen Jiazhi again.

I was busy from morning till night, but apart from the support of my old customer Xue Chenglin, I made no money at the end of the day.

"Junfei, you can go home now."

"Hmm, boss, let me see if I can find customer information from other channels."

"Okay, head back early, this can't be rushed." Ye Junfei nodded, still searching for useful information at his workstation. At least his attitude gave Chen Jiazhi a good impression.

After Chen Jiazhi went downstairs, he spoke with Li Xiu and then went to the fruit stalls in the North-South Market.

In the past two days, he has mobilized his network of connections, including Peng Qian, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Agricultural Bureau, to find a suitable manager for the Xilin sugar orange base.

They also persuaded their brother-in-law, Wu Chengyong, to go to Xilin County. Today, their eldest sister, Chen Jiahua, and Wu Chengyong came to the city and have been staying at the fruit stall since the afternoon.

"Brother Yong, how are you feeling?"

Wu Chengyong scratched his head and said, "I'm still a little unaccustomed to it. You know, I was growing vegetables just fine, and now I'm going to plant trees... isn't that like a monkey trying to pick corn?"

The eldest sister, Chen Jiahua, who was helping to manage the fruit, chimed in, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just go if Jiazhi tells you to. He wouldn't mistreat you, would he?"

Of the three brothers-in-law, Yi Dinggan is not worth mentioning, Xue Jun has also made a name for himself, and only Wu Chengyong has barely managed to become a group leader.

Wu Chengyong was content, but Chen Jiahua was a little jealous.

Wu Chengyong said, "I was just saying it, I didn't say I wouldn't go."

With no customers in the shop, Chen Jiazhi lit a cigarette for Wu Chengyong and said with a smile, "Xilin needs someone trustworthy. What Big Sister said is right. I certainly won't let you down."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

When Chen Jiazhi was born, Chen Jiahua was already married and lived far away. Wu Chengyong did not help him as much as Yi Dinggan did, so the siblings were the most distant.

Wu Chengyong himself is old and has no other skills besides physical strength and farming. Working at the vegetable market as a team leader is the best he can do.

Chen Jiazhi transferred him to Xilin; perhaps his job would be easier there.

The eldest sister, Chen Jiahua, will be transferred to work in Huacheng, where she can keep Chen Jiaying company.

After confirming that there were no problems with Wu Chengyong's place, Chen Jiazhi drove to a few more stores for a quick look.

He checked the vegetable store's data and found that although the profit margin was not high, the business should be better than during the state-run vegetable store era due to factors such as lower purchase prices.

The fruit shop hasn't opened yet. They originally planned to open it after he returned, but Chen Jiazhi sent it back and demanded rectification.

Even if he's never eaten pork, he's at least seen pigs run. In his past life, he at least shopped at fruit chain stores.

First of all, the plating of other people's food is very beautiful, and the first impression upon entering the store is very eye-catching.

Secondly, the quality of the fruit must be good.

However, the fruits from Reliable Fresh currently do not undergo professional pesticide residue testing, and their plating still needs improvement; both of these aspects are currently in the process of being improved.

For several days in a row, Chen Jiazhi had a very fulfilling time.

Having been away from Huacheng for almost a month, there have been significant changes in various aspects, including delivery and stalls. Chen Jiazhi spent a considerable amount of time just inspecting Huacheng and Shenzhen.

During the event, several tables were set up at the Spruce Tree to celebrate the housewarming.

However, the dining experience at Spruce was still not very good that day, and the financial crisis seemed to have had a significant impact on Spruce as well.

But there was also some comforting news. Chen Zhengxu brought his girlfriend with him, and Chen Jiazhi, who had drunk quite a bit, called his cousin Chen Jiashun that night, asking him to quickly come up with names for his grandchildren.

After that, Chen Jiazhi went to inspect Heli Farm, Pengcun Base and Jiangxin Farm.

When Yi Dinggan and several farm managers met him, they all began to complain that they had lost money in August and it looked like they would lose money again in September. They all wanted Chen Jiazhi to relax some restrictions on the use of pesticides.

Chen Jiazhi remained unmoved.

If he, as the boss, isn't in a hurry, why are the others in such a rush?
In the vegetable plots of Jiangxin Market, Chen Jiazhi listened to Qi Yongfeng recount his experiences over the past two months.

Due to rain and outbreaks of pests and diseases, a total of four to five hundred acres of land had to be demolished and rebuilt, making Qi Yongfeng question his life and almost think that he had no idea how to farm.

"Doesn't this dish look pretty good?"

“Boss, it’s almost October. If there are any more problems, you don’t need to fire me. I’ll just quit being the manager myself.”

“I never said I was firing you,” Chen Jiazhi said with a smile. “I think you did a good job; you were able to control the pesticides.”

Qi Yongfeng pointed to the white building in the distance, "The testing center is right here with me. We test every day, and no one can stand it."

After a pause, Qi Yongfeng continued, "Boss, the Japanese didn't require all indicators to be below 0.01 ppm, so why should we adhere to that standard?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "Prevention is better than cure, and it's also about taking responsibility for ourselves. Let's persevere a little longer, and we'll see results soon."

Because pesticide use was restricted during hot and humid weather, the amount of vegetables sold in various markets decreased.

So even though the market has been bad recently, Kaopu Fresh has never had any pressure to sell vegetables.

But it will be here soon.

After the early rice harvest at Heli Farm was completed, leafy vegetable varieties such as Sijiu Heart, Chinese kale, romaine lettuce, and Dali lettuce were planted. The vegetables will be available on the market in as little as half a month.

According to Chen Jiazhi's plan, some of the vegetables were prepared for the export market.

However, in terms of exports, apart from the booming vegetable market's exports to Japan, progress in other regions is still not going smoothly.

But Chen Jiazhi remained calm. He kept in constant communication with Fang Shaohua. With the concentrated market launch of Shandong spinach, coupled with the benefits of export tax rebates and policy subsidies, the Japanese side was already on the verge of collapse.

...

Time passes day by day.

At the Dongsheng Farm, on the border line, Qu Jingtai saw a lush green neighbor's vegetable market and revealed a relieved expression.

"This is the normal level of Jiangxin vegetable market. What were they doing the past two months?!"

Qu Jingtai complained that for two whole months, the Jiangxin vegetable market had been of substandard quality, producing batch after batch of rotten vegetables.

He didn't believe Li Jiyong's report at first, but after seeing it for himself, he found it hard to accept.

Is this the kind of competitor that stole Au Tai Kee's customers in Hong Kong?

Where does he even put his face?!
Only now that the vegetables at Jiangxin Market are back to normal do Qu Jingtai feel a sense of relief.

Li Jiyong analyzed, "It may be due to the low vegetable prices and the lack of management at Jiangxin Vegetable Market."

Qu Jingtai nodded slightly, "That's possible. Reliable Fresh's export business in the Pearl River Delta isn't doing well."

Previously, vegetable prices, whether for domestic sales or exports, were so low that they were threatening the livelihoods of vegetable farmers.

Fortunately, the government introduced preferential policies to encourage exports, which allowed Qu Taiji to recover.

Kaopu Fresh mainly sells domestically in the Pearl River Delta. Without policy support, and with exports unlikely to recover in the short term, the situation will naturally be more severe.

"Boss Chen, so you've finally met your match!" Qu Jingtai said with a hint of schadenfreude.

Just then, a bicycle came speeding by.

"Manager Qu, something terrible has happened! Two containers of goods we exported to Japan yesterday have been returned!"

"What?!" Qu Jingtai's expression changed slightly as he stared at the person who had arrived. "What happened? Why was the item returned?!"

"The reason given by the Japanese side is that the pesticide residue exceeded the standard."

"Impossible! We've always been qualified!" Qu Taiji roared. "There must be another reason!"

"But that's what the Japanese side says!"

The following day, goods shipped by Au Tai Kee to Japan were repeatedly rejected due to pesticide residues.

Qu Jingtai was anxious. After several attempts, he finally understood the reason through his client: the Japanese had temporarily revised the Food Hygiene Law.

This sudden blow left Qu Jingtai nearly dizzy.

(End of this chapter)