Twenty years of cold chain

Listening to Li Shenglong's explanation, Hu Shutong quickly grasped the key points.

Li Shenglong shook his head and said, "They were all sealed with wax seals. To be honest, if I had seen what was written inside, I wouldn't have been so restless these past few days. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to help deliver it; if they didn't ask me, they would have asked someone else. At most, it would just be a little slower."

In Hu Shutong's view, it was very timely for these people to submit the renovation plan. They may not be able to ride the wave of the "Double Hundred Market" initiative, but that doesn't prevent them from benefiting from this opportunity. They may not be able to become large-scale markets or enterprises that meet national standards, but they can still receive government support because they are concerned with people's livelihoods on the front lines, which is in line with the spirit of the "Ten Measures".

The evolution of farmers' markets is a true reflection of the times. The turn of the century was their golden age, followed by a wave of reforms around 03, but their survival has become increasingly precarious since then. Wholesale markets located in production areas, in particular, have been severely diverted as national distribution channels have gradually opened up.

A large portion of the orders at the wholesale market in the production area are directly supplied to the vegetable market. Essentially, the cooperation between Tongxing and Dalin Fisheries also falls into this category. Tongxing uses its strong transportation and storage capabilities to bring fish from Panzhu to Qingyan Market, which is equivalent to realizing the migration of the production area from the coast to the inland.

However, the wholesale markets in each county rely on overly limited channels; if one market sneezes, the other catches a cold. Moreover, these days, fewer and fewer people go to the farmers' markets to buy groceries, as vegetable shops, fruit shops, butcher shops, and supermarkets on every street corner are vying for the market's customers. In fact, roadside stalls can solve many people's meals.

This made Hu Shutong ponder the issue of the Shuangbai Market's expansion into lower-tier markets and its potential new possibilities. Why can't many vegetables from farmers' markets be sold at other farmers' markets? Supermarkets and stores need a stable supply of goods, so why can't farmers' markets get a share of the pie? If things continue like this, farmers' markets in production areas are in a precarious situation, and the inability to improve the situation will ultimately be blamed on the farmers, who are not only concerned with prices but also with their selective purchasing.

However, the bridging role of large-scale agricultural markets at production sites will not be replaced. Breaking away from outdated business concepts, they remain a fast track connecting upstream and downstream industries.

Therefore, the time is ripe for transformation, and the transformation should not only focus on the basic hardware.

Looking at Hu Shutong's expression, Li Shenglong knew that this guy was planning something tough again. In fact, the reason why this Master Long was getting closer and closer to Hu Shutong was not only because of the time he helped hoard garlic.

Li Shenglong didn't think much about the general trends of the times, but the rapid changes were obvious. If he were to forcibly copy the old ways in his livelihood and try to make a living in the underworld with such methods, he would be in big trouble.

Tongxing, while arranging livelihoods for the vegetable farmers, also made money for himself. He established a reputation by displaying numerous plaques at his door, demonstrating the successful path he followed in this era—a path marked by strength and resilience. Therefore, he often admired Hu Shutong.

"Brother Long, now is the perfect time to propose a renovation plan. The large potential for renovation at this juncture is actually a bargaining chip, because the locations of these farmers' markets are hard to replace, and improvements to people's livelihoods are inevitable. I know Qujiaying very well; the few air coolers they purchased eight years ago are already the newest items they have now."

"If we can get some funding from above, we can at least add a pre-cooling hall inside, and introduce a simple automated system to do initial packaging of some vegetables and fruits. We can also repair the exterior, including the overall environment. Hiring some bulldozers to clear away the rotten vegetable piles would also be good."

Li Shenglong, with a cigarette between his fingers and his neck tilted to the side, straightened up only after the smoke choked his eyes, showing no reaction to Hu Shutong's words.

"Since they say there are successful precedents in Qingnan, as long as the renovation plan isn't too outrageous, the situation in this more challenging area should be optimistic. That's why I don't understand what you're worried about?"

Li Shenglong swallowed his words, some of which were quite sharp, but whether he mentioned them or not was irrelevant in front of Hu Shutong. "Shutong, you just need to know that I have concerns."

Hu Shutong nodded without pressing further. Li Shenglong continued, "I've already told you about this beforehand, so just hold your tongue and be prepared. When it comes to grocery shopping, sometimes no one can avoid it. What if they make it work for you, and what if they don't? That's what I wanted to tell you."

Li Shenglong had no idea that his conversation with Hu Shutong would give him a new idea. It might not actually happen in the end, but the thoughts that flashed through his mind told Hu Shutong that it was worth trying.

Back in Tongxing, Hu Shutong was wide awake and turned on his computer to browse his recent emails.

Looking through the messages, there were more than twenty unread ones, mostly industry reports. Hu Shutong glanced at them one by one, but as he was doing so, suddenly a series of drawings appeared on the screen.

Hu Shutong then looked back at the email's title, which read "Fengliang Cold Chain Center Planning Proposal," and the sender was none other than Liang Lu.

Hu Shutong was shocked by what he saw: Liang Lu was going to build a cluster of fruit cold storage facilities in Tongze County and rely on the fruit supply from Lianghuzhuang and the surrounding areas for external transportation and sales.

Mingjiang's policies were implemented quickly, clearly stating its support for the construction of cold chain logistics enterprises and providing subsidies of varying degrees based on their scale. Coupled with Liang's own financial strength, this path was indeed not difficult to open up.

But in Hu Shutong's view, things were still too rushed. The blueprints in front of him didn't interest him; he was more concerned about the distribution channels and operations of this cold chain center. Blueprints could only make the park stand up, but customers were what kept it alive. Liang Lu was still a senior in college, yet he had already secured factory construction and stable clients by September, which made Hu Shutong deeply suspicious.

The market is indeed far better than before, but we can't take things for granted. We have to investigate step by step to find out the truth. When Hu Shutong was making plans for Tongxing, he spent a whole winter on the front lines, thinking about how to write a plan for others to see, while also digesting the information himself.

The email was sent six days ago, but Hu Shutong did not receive any reminder calls or text messages from Liang Lu, as if he could take a look if he wanted to, or not if he didn't.

Hu Shutong knew nothing about the other things, so he could only start with the park's planning to see if he could offer any suggestions. However, after only about a minute, Hu Shutong frowned deeply.

From this plan, Hu Shutong saw the frenzied competition among material and equipment companies. From this plan, Hu Shutong saw an unprecedented ease in the cold chain, as if the source of the cold chain was established simply by turning on the refrigeration unit and stacking up fruit.

He also saw that the policy was affecting the nerves of countless people, making many people impatient and restless.

Whether it's for raising fish or irrigating the land, let's first show off a gushing stream!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.