1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 487 Timely Adjustment
"Okay, let's set it for tomorrow then, Officer Jiang, you're too kind."

Chen Jiazhi squinted as he walked into the corridor, where the warm winter sun shone brightly on the vegetable field.

He sensed something unusual in Jiang Yongqiang's words.

He likely knew that Chen Jiazhi befriended him through Huang Jianyuan in order to reveal the fugitive's location to him.

However, Jiang Yongqiang did not delve into the matter, indicating that he accepted the sentiment.

Even if we delve deeper, Chen Jiazhi could say that he discovered it by accident.

"Boss, the bicycle is ready," Qi Yongfeng called out from the roadside.

"coming."

For Chen Jiazhi, patrolling the fields will always be one of his favorite jobs.

Even with work commitments, you can still enjoy freedom and comfort while cycling back and forth in the market.

Jiangxin vegetable market still mainly sells bok choy and kale, while Dongsheng Farm has transplanted some lettuce.

Watching the workers at Jiangxin Vegetable Market plant seedlings is a pleasure; their clean and efficient planting movements are pleasing to the eye, as if they plant five or six seedlings in a second.

"Don't be fooled by how quickly they're planted; the survival rate is quite high." Qi Yongfeng said with a hint of pride.

"I see, there are basically no missing seedlings."

Chen Jiazhi was also very satisfied with this speed; piecework always brings out people's potential.

I only took over the project at the end of November, and by December I had completed most of it—plowing, fertilizing, harrowing, and transplanting—in just one month. The efficiency was indeed high.

"Boss, won't planting this way cause the lettuce to hit the market too centrally?"

"Are you worried about not being able to sell them all?" Chen Jiazhi asked with a faint smile, suddenly wanting to laugh.

"Dongsheng Farm has 1500 mu of land. If we actually plant 1300 mu, it will take a month to plant. That's an average of more than 40 mu per day. Once it's on the market, that's nearly 80 tons of vegetables per day."

Qi Yongfeng analyzed.

"Besides Dongsheng Farm, Heli should also be growing a lot of lettuce, and there are also some in Shanghai. Will there be too much of that later on?"

Chen Jiazhi took out his cigarette case and lit one for Qi Yongfeng, saying, "You're overthinking it. There's a shortage of lettuce in the market right now."

The Pearl River Delta region has great potential for lettuce consumption, and Chen Jiazhi recalls that it will be among the top three vegetables in terms of future consumption.

At the same time, there is also considerable demand from Hong Kong and overseas.

After a brief explanation of the demand for lettuce in the Japanese, Hong Kong, and mainland Chinese markets, Qi Yongfeng understood.

"Does Brother Zhi mean I'm not fierce enough?"

"Go for it!" Chen Jiazhi laughed and scolded, "Don't think about taking a gamble, play it safe."

"Hehe, I initially thought about planting all 1300 mu of lettuce by December, which is about 100 mu a day, but then I thought that the time would not last long, so I gave up."

Qi Yongfeng leaned back on the bicycle seat, smoking a cigarette, and talked about some very ambitious ideas he had once conceived.

Growing vegetables requires not only vigor, but also persistence.

After hearing this, Chen Jiazhi didn't want to comment anymore, but he glared at Qi Yongfeng, thinking that such thoughts were dangerous.

"Let's keep the current pace. The key is to ensure that we have a suitable amount of food produced every day."

"This is not only beneficial for market planning, but also suitable for maintaining workers."

Chen Jiazhi had said the same thing many times, but after inspecting the fields, he emphasized it again.

"Don't just remember how fierce you are, a man also needs to last."

"Brother Zhi, don't worry, I was just joking. I'm a pro at growing vegetables now!"

"Okay, I'm going now. Call me if you need anything."

Arriving and returning on the same day, with a hurried schedule, Chen Jiazhi once again completed his field inspection of all the bases.

The planting plan was released the following morning and reached the hands of the farm managers by the afternoon.

This is a comprehensive plan, focusing on the overall direction.

For example, in addition to the usual export varieties, the Pearl River Delta also involves specialty high-quality vegetables such as chicken heart mustard and Zengcheng late-season cabbage.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange, on the other hand, leans towards the Japanese market.

Overall, it is a relatively conservative planting plan aimed at ensuring a stable supply.

However, based on Chen Jiazhi's understanding of the farm managers, each manager would have some bias in the actual planting process.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Chen Jiazhi took two more bottles of wine from the office to his car. That evening, Jiang Yongqiang had invited him and Huang Jianyuan to drink together.

"Boss~"

Just as I closed the trunk, Xue Jun arrived in a minivan.

"I found out that the main production area of ​​fragrant lemons is in Guangdong, and Baiyun District grows a lot of fragrant lemons!"

"Okay, then what?" Chen Jiazhi really didn't expect that Xue Jun would still be paying attention to perfume lemons after returning from Ruili.

"Go into the perfume lemon business! Or set up a planting base in Ruili, where the climate is different and the harvest time can be staggered with that in Guangdong."

Xue Jun said matter-of-factly, "They spent so much time researching in Ruili, it couldn't have been just to catch fugitives, could it?"
"Forget it, Ruili isn't suitable." Chen Jiazhi politely declined; his purpose in going to Ruili was to apprehend fugitives.

Xue Jun added, "It's okay if you don't go to Ruili. You can sell fragrant lemons at fruit stalls and stores."

“I agree.” Chen Jiazhi nodded slightly, then said, “However, I suggest you ask Boss Yi if you want to help him sell the lemons from his hometown.”

"Uh……"

Xue Jun finally realized what was happening. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If we're going to do it, we have to go big."

“Of course,” Chen Jiazhi said. “But don’t spend too much energy on it. Just consider it as providing another sales channel.”

"I understand."

After chatting with Xue Jun about the fruit business for a while, Chen Jiazhi didn't go upstairs again. He called out to Li Xiu and they went to keep their appointment together.

They ate at Bing Sheng Seafood Stall again, where Jiang Yongqiang was a regular customer.

"Mr. Chen, it's my treat today, so I won't open your wine. Drink this and eat the sashimi, it'll be just right."

When they arrived, Jiang Yongqiang and Huang Jianyuan were already there. Seeing that Chen Jiazhi had brought wine, Jiang Yongqiang quickly took out two bottles of Fenjiu from under the table.

"Okay, I'll follow Officer Jiang's instructions today."

Knowing that Chen Jiazhi wouldn't eat raw fish, Jiang Yongqiang also ordered other specialty dishes.

After pouring each a glass of wine, Jiang Yongqiang raised his own glass and said, "President Chen, this first glass is for you. Without the information you provided, I, Jiang Yongqiang, might have been stuck here for the rest of my life!"

After saying that, Jiang Yongqiang drank it all in one gulp.

"you are too polite."

Chen Jiazhi could tell that Jiang Yongqiang was genuinely grateful, so he finished his drink.

Huang Jianyuan was the most bewildered of the group. He only snapped out of his daze after the two men clinked glasses.

"Qiang, you said you could catch the fugitive, was the information provided to you by Boss Chen?"

“Yes.” Jiang Yongqiang gave a brief introduction, only saying that Chen Jiazhi happened to run into him while he was on an inspection trip.

"Mr. Chen, you really are our lucky star!" Huang Jianyuan quickly came over to clink glasses.

"Hey, I was just lucky~"

Chen Jiazhi didn't go into details, but he and Jiang Yongqiang had reached a certain level of understanding.

This get-together was just to strengthen connections, to chat and drink, and the atmosphere of this open-air food stall was just right.

After this ordeal, Chen Jiazhi is now quite confident that if Kaopu Fresh gets into a conflict with someone in the Huacheng wholesale market in the future, Jiang Yongqiang will step in to help.

But I doubt he can interfere in Shenzhen's affairs.

Several more days passed.
Chen Jiazhi remained in Huacheng, focusing on streamlining the company's management.

After entering January, the taste of mustard greens and late-season mustard greens reaches its best.

Kaopu Fresh has the best and most abundant sources of goods, and the feedback from various market channels is also very good.

Among the three major markets of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, Shenzhen had the lowest shipment volume but the fastest growth rate.

"The stall in Buji is already selling 25 tons a day, that's really fast."

Chen Jiazhi looked at the delivery order sent back from Shenzhen and was surprised by its growth rate.

Vegetable prices have generally been low this year, and even with a rebound, they have only remained at a normal level. Late-season bok choy and mustard greens are priced 20% higher at stalls than regular varieties, indicating that the market has a strong acceptance of the Buji stalls.

It's just not what I originally intended.

Originally intended to be devoured, it has now turned into taking big bites, growing at an astonishing rate.

After reviewing the situation in Shenzhen, Chen Jiazhi then focused on the company as a whole.

Yesterday, the daily vegetable production in the Pearl River Delta was approximately 265 tons, including 70 tons from Japan, 60 tons from Hong Kong, 75 tons from Guangzhou, 40 tons from Shenzhen, and about 20 tons from other areas such as Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Foshan.

Due to the drop in temperature, only about 50 tons of vegetables were produced in Shanghai. However, once Xuanqiao and Pujiang, which rushed to meet demand earlier, get back on track, production capacity will increase significantly.

"The company produces 315 tons of vegetables a day, with total revenue of nearly one million yuan. However, due to the reduction in exports, the profit margin has decreased, and the estimated net profit is only one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand yuan."

At its peak, the combined daily exports of Kaopu Fresh Flower City and Shanghai to Japan reached over 150 tons.

Although lettuce exports are currently holding firm, the overall scale has still shrunk by half.

This is the result of market selection.

That's why Shanghai is adjusting its planting structure.

In addition, considering the size of each market, Chen Jiazhi also felt that the possibility of conflict between the Shenzhen stalls and Yiyuan and Guangjia was decreasing.

Because overall, the market is still very large, and the production capacity of Kaopu Fresh cannot meet the needs of all markets, such as Xiangjiang and Huacheng, where there is still considerable room for market absorption.

There is still great market potential in Shenzhen, Japan, Southeast Asia, and even other cities in the Pearl River Delta.

From this perspective, what Kaopu Fresh should do is continue to expand its production base.

However, due to a shortage of manpower, the newly built base may not meet expectations.

"It seems I really need to take some time to settle down, focus on making money, and build up my foundation."

There are quite a few bases now.

Heli 5000 mu, Jiangxin vegetable market 900 mu, Pengcun base 1000 mu, Lianzhou vegetable market 1000 mu, cooperative base with Lianzhou farmers 1000 mu, Dongsheng farm 1500 mu.

The Pearl River Delta region covers a total of 10,400 mu (approximately 667 hectares

Including the three vegetable markets in Shanghai, the total area is 1.34 mu.

There's also Yunling Agriculture, which is confined to a remote corner of the country.

With such a dispersed and numerous bases, it would take Chen Jiazhi a great deal of effort to conduct a complete inspection, let alone manage them in practice.

After analyzing the situation over the past few days, Chen Jiazhi felt that the company really needed to take a break and reflect.

However, we must first squeeze American lettuce out of Hong Kong, and ideally, squeeze it out of Japan as well.

Dongsheng Farm has 1500 mu dedicated to growing lettuce, and Lianzhou has 1000 mu. These 2500 mu are competing with the Hong Kong market and the Shanghai market with Japan.

"Okay, let's do it that way."

After making the decision, Chen Jiazhi made the call in the afternoon when he estimated that Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai had woken up.

"Zhengxu, there's no need for the Shenzhen stalls to fight tooth and nail with Yiyuan and Guangjia for now. Once the daily sales volume of the stalls reaches 30 tons, we can hold back a bit."

Chen Zhengxu asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, boss? The customer feedback is very good right now, it's the perfect time to press our advantage."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Because the profit margin is not high enough, if the demand is strong, we can raise prices to control sales volume."

Chen Zhengxu: "I still don't quite understand."

"Because production can't keep up."

Chen Jiazhi did some calculations for Chen Zhengxu.

After listening, Chen Zhengxu pondered and said, "If that's the case, with daily sales of 30 tons at the stalls and 15 to 20 tons delivered, maintaining a daily volume of 45 to 50 tons in Shenzhen is indeed a good figure."

It can both establish a firm foothold and make reasonable use of existing resources.

Furthermore, it's unlikely to provoke Yiyuan or Guangjia to take any drastic actions.

Chen Jiazhi was pleased that Chen Zhengxu could think so rationally; he had just heard Li Cai muttering to himself.

"Indeed, this avoids direct conflict, but we can also start from Hong Kong to weaken Hop Hing and Wing Lung, which is also a way of weakening Yik Yuen and Kwong Ka."

"Okay, I understand. Li Cai and I will adjust accordingly."

Why always think about fighting and killing when it comes to growing and selling vegetables? Even if Guangjia and Yiyuan are taken down, Kaopu Fresh might still end up in a mess.

This is just right; it aligns with Chen Jiazhi's original intention of developing and expanding steadily.

"Yes, the daily sales at the Buji stall are already 25 tons, and it won't take more than two days to reach 30 tons. Come back soon, the company is about to distribute dividends, and this time the dividends will be higher than expected."

"Great, boss is generous!"

"You all deserve credit for the company's success today."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhengxu smiled and looked at Li Cai, who was listening intently, "You heard everything?"

Li Cai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Besides profit sharing, it seems like the stall owners are going to control sales?"

"Ah."

"why?"

Chen Zhengxu had no choice but to explain again, "This is good too, as it can increase the overall price and allow us to make more money."

"The effectiveness of street sweeping may have to be halved." Li Cai pursed his lips. The feeling of digging into people's homes every day was addictive, but slowly eroding them like a frog being boiled in water would be a bit tasteless. However, he also knew that rationally speaking, this decision was more prudent.

Chen Zhengxu then said, "Don't dwell on this anymore. Now we should think about how to spend the dividends."

There were only the two of them in the office. Li Cai asked, "How do you plan to spend the money?"

Chen Zhengxu's lips curled up slightly, "Buying a house, we're getting married over the New Year."

"Damn, why did you bring this up?"

Li Cai suffered another blow.

"I went to the vegetable stall to sell vegetables."

"The market is full of middle-aged women, what's the point of going there? Why don't you come with me to a restaurant to visit clients? There are more beautiful women there."

That's going too far!

"Hahaha……"

Although the boss chose to put on the brakes, the two did not relax. Street sweeping was still meaningful, and maintaining stable and high-quality service at the stall was equally meaningful.

These are all ways to build up the company's foundation.

After arriving at the Buji Agricultural Wholesale Market, Li Cai made a special trip past Guang Jia's stall today. He saw Ye Chu, who was not tall but had a strong build, a face full of fat, and arms crossed. He looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Ye Chu also recognized Li Cai. In recent days, Kaopu Fresh has generated a lot of buzz in the market.

The two looked at each other.

In the past, Li would have just walked by as if nothing had happened, but this time he greeted her.

"Mr. Ye, may your business prosper."

Ye Chu frowned slightly. "Kaopu Fresh is also gaining momentum. They are a force to be reckoned with."

"That's it, I'm running out of steam. This is pretty much the end of my rope."

Guangjia had indeed noticed Kaopu Fresh. If he continued to sell vegetables blindly, he might really suffer losses. Li then took out a cigarette from his bag.

"Mr. Ye, would you like one?"

Ye Chu hesitated before taking the package, but didn't light it. He then inquired, "With so many markets like Kaopu Fresh, how could they not have vegetables?"

Li Cai took a drag of his cigarette and said, "The company's focus isn't in Shenzhen, it's overseas. You know the Japanese, right? Our dishes sell very well in Japan."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Ye Chu then lit a cigarette.

"I'm leaving now, Mr. Ye. Let's talk another day."

Judging from Ye Chu's appearance, Li Cai knew that he had believed part of the truth.

that's enough.

After poaching so many customers from other vendors in the vegetable market, it's nice to try a different approach to competition.

(End of this chapter)