Chapter 180: The Rise and Fall of Industries (Medium) (Ch 821508925)

August 10th.
The Magic City is hosting a food security summit forum.
On the scorching hot Qiongzhou Island, farmers from all over the country are also discussing the issue.
However, what the farmers on Qiongzhou Island were discussing was not the Food Security Summit Forum, but the Hailufeng Company.
Qiongdong area.
The Qiongzhou branch of Hailufeng Company has set up a high-level regional office here to specifically manage the industries in the area.
The so-called regional office is a secondary agency specially set up by the regional branch to strengthen local management. Currently, the Qiongzhou branch has established a total of 6 regional offices on Qiongzhou Island.
The Qiongdong area is one of them.
At this time, it was Huishan Town in Qiongdong.
At a table in a food stall, a middle-aged man with one finger missing from his left hand poured a glass of rice wine for the fat black man sitting opposite him: “Fatty, I heard that you shoveled away the betel nuts at home?”
“Not shoveling? Are we going to keep it for the New Year? The purchase price last year was less than eight yuan. I only made a few thousand yuan in the whole year. If you include the wages of my family, the loss would be huge.” The fat man was speechless.
“Oh! Life in this world is difficult!” Jiuzhi sighed, filled a cup of rice wine for himself, and then took a sip.
In recent years, the development of the betel nut industry in Qiongzhou has experienced ups and downs, with constant turmoil.
At the end of 24, the purchase price of green betel nut at the farm gate was still 50-60 yuan per kilogram. By the end of 25, it plummeted to 16 yuan per kilogram.
As for the situation this year, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the betel nut industry will continue to struggle. The reason is that the number of areas in the mainland that have banned the sale of betel nuts has increased by more than a dozen this year. In addition, after the border is closed, products exported to the mainland will be subject to tariffs. At the same time, many betel nut plantations that were planted during the market boom in previous years have also entered a high-production stage in the past one or two years.
The accumulation of these unfavorable factors led to the collapse of the purchase price of betel nut.
“Fatty, what are you going to grow in the future, rubber? Pepper? Or mango?”
The fat man shook his head: “I plan to grow durian.”
“Durian? You don’t want to sign a contract with that Hailufeng company, do you?” Jiuzhi put down his wine glass with a hint of surprise on his face.
“No?”
Jiuzhi picked up a piece of fried crab from the Typhoon Shelter. “I heard that they have very strict management over the contracted farmers. Farmers are not allowed to sell durian to other buyers privately. They can only sell to their company. This condition is too harsh. Who would be willing to be exploited by them?”
“Haha, don’t believe everything you hear. I have a cousin who works in their company. The durian varieties and technology of Hailufeng Company are different from before. Their purchase price is strictly stipulated in the contract and is 60% of the retail price.” The fat man ate a fat oyster.
“60%? So high?” Nine Fingers put down his chopsticks and asked, “Is your information accurate?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Nine Fingers was a little hesitant: “It seems that durian needs four or five years to bear fruit. My betel nut is producing a lot now. I am reluctant to change it now.”
The fat man smiled and shook his head: “It won’t take four or five years. If you plant this year, you can get the first batch of fruits the year after next.”
“Really? Don’t be fooled.” Jiuzhi looked surprised.
“I visited the headquarters of Hailufeng Company last month. They have planted more than 50,000 mu of durian in eastern Guangdong. It will start to bear fruit at the end of this year, and the first batch of fruits will be produced next year.”
“What if they lied to you?”
“You can’t spit out ivory from a dog’s mouth. Why are they trying to trick me? Are they kidding me about tens of thousands of acres of durian? They have also planned nearly 80,000 acres of durian in Qiongzhou, and have recently planted seedlings.”
Different from the durian cultivation of Hailufeng Company in eastern Guangdong, the durian planted in Qiongzhou this time does not need to be grafted with the genetically modified silk cotton tree as the rootstock, but can be planted directly.
Because Jiang Miao improved the technology in June this year, the new version of the genetically modified kapok will no longer die in four or five years. Instead, if no specific drug is used for infusion, the genetically modified kapok will not grow and will enter a dormant state.
The reason for this improvement is, on the one hand, to better control durian growers; on the other hand, to adjust the growth cycle.
The dormant genetically modified kapok plant does not really stop growing. Instead, it concentrates nutrients in the root tubers at the root, which is a bit similar to the Senzu soybean. These root tubers can also be used as materials for cultivating new seedlings.
By injecting special agents to activate the gene sequence of the genetically modified kapok and durian branches, the durian can start to bloom in the second month and mature in the seventh month.
This method allows durian to bear fruit all year round.
As long as the durian in the area is divided into pieces, chemicals can be used to control the time when the durian blooms and bears fruit.
The first batch of third-generation genetically modified kapok trees, totaling 10,000 trees, have arrived at Qiongzhou Coconut City and have been planted for more than a month.
Next, the Hailufeng company headquarters will produce 100,000 to 300,000 genetically modified kapok seedlings every month, and these genetically modified kapok trees will be sent to the Qiongzhou branch.
These genetically modified kapok trees only need about half a year to grow to their maximum height of about 4.2 to 4.5 meters.
Generally, you can start grafting old durian branches after growing for about three months. The two will grow together, but the grafting point will not be chosen on the main stem, but on the side branches on all four sides. The reason for this design is to ensure that the crown of the genetically modified kapok trunk can occupy the core position of photosynthesis, thereby increasing its nutrient accumulation.
The amount of nutrients accumulated in the roots of the genetically modified kapok determines the scale of durian fruit production.
If the quality of the initial fruits is not a concern, you can even start using flowering drugs in the fourth month after the old durian branches are grafted. However, the amount of fruit produced in this batch will be relatively small, and the sweetness and flavor will be affected.
If you want to ensure the quality, it is best to start forcing flowering in the thirteenth month after the genetically modified kapok is planted. At this time, the flowering and fruiting will be very good, and the fruit quantity, flavor, sweetness and stress resistance will be very good.
Therefore, what Fatty said about the result being the year after next is actually not wrong.
If they buy seedlings and plant them in August, they can force them to flower in September of the next year and harvest the first batch of high-quality fruits in January of the following year.
Of course, if you are in a hurry to harvest the fruits, you can make adjustments, but only one fruit can be retained on one old branch, and one tree can only produce about 8 fruits. The durian plantation planned by Hailufeng Company generally plants 20 trees per acre, which means that only 160 fruits can be produced in the initial stage, or about 400∽800 kilograms per acre.
During the peak production period, a single tree usually has 80 fruits left, with an output of 1,600 durians per mu, or about 4 to 8 tons.
The Hailufeng Company plans to lower the retail price of durian to around 20 yuan per kilogram, which means the purchase price at the farm gate is 12 yuan.
This means that after farmers plant durian, the output value per mu is approximately between 48,000 and 96,000 yuan. After deducting costs, the gross profit is around 28,000 to 76,000 yuan. The specific profit depends on the management level of the farmers.
…
“I still have no idea.” Jiuzhi looked hesitant.
The fat man, who took a sip of rice wine, suggested: “If you are afraid, I suggest you grow bananas.”
“Banana? You can’t make money from this thing!” Nine Fingers blurted out the complaint.
“You can sign a contract with Hailufeng Company for targeted planting. They also have banana varieties to promote, and the purchase price at the farm gate is also 60% of the retail price.”
“This…” Jiuzhi started calculating in his mind.
He had grown bananas before. The banana yield per mu in Qiongzhou is generally more than 6,000 kilograms. The farmgate price given by buyers is around 2 to 3 yuan per kilogram. After deducting the costs, he can make 2,000 to 4,000 yuan per mu of bananas in a year.
Moreover, bananas are not very resistant to typhoons, much worse than betel nuts. Therefore, many banana plantations in Qiongzhou suffer heavy losses due to typhoons every year. This is another reason why many local farmers choose to grow betel nuts.
However, the fat man smiled and told me a little news: “I think you can consider it, because Hailufeng Company’s banana varieties will purchase the cut banana stems and leaves.”
“Are you kidding? What are they buying banana stems and leaves for?”
“I don’t know about that, but I heard from my cousin that the purchase price is quite high, about one thousand yuan per ton.”
“Will this also be a contract?”
“Of course, Hailufeng Company will not allow growers to sell bananas and banana stems and leaves at will.”
Jiuzhi finally made up his mind: “Fatty, ask your cousin, I want to grow bananas from Hailufeng Company, how do I do it?”
“It’s simple. Download the official app of Hailufeng Company on your mobile phone, then register and log in…” The fat man took out his mobile phone and taught Jiuzhi how to download and register.
After Nine Fingers had registered, Fatty continued, “Open the Hailufeng Member Center.”
“It’s opened, and then what?”
“There is an agricultural cooperative inside. Have you found it…”
“Yes.”
“There are Egyptian catfish breeding cooperatives, durian planting cooperatives, and banana planting cooperatives. Click on the banana one…”
“I know.” After clicking on the page of the banana planting cooperative group, there are various detailed introductions, as well as contract consultation and customer service.
It includes a partial introduction to three banana varieties, some information on how to purchase them, and the penalties for violating the terms of cooperation.
After watching for more than ten minutes, Jiuzhi became a little worried by some of the introductions to the new varieties: “Little Mike banana? Red Big Mike banana? New Big Mike banana? Why do these names sound a little familiar?”
“It’s a new variety improved from the old variety.”
Hearing this, Nine Fingers’ memory seemed to recall something, and he asked uncertainly, “Could it be that Big Mike who was defeated by the yellow leaf disease?”
As the fat man spoke, he picked up the remaining fried crab from the typhoon shelter on the plate: “It seems to be that species, but it has been improved, so there should be no problem.”
“Really?” Jiuzhi thought for a while and felt that since Hailufeng Company dared to launch the new varieties, there would definitely be no major problems.
Therefore, he quickly filled in his relevant information on the cooperation appointment interface and made an appointment for offline signing.
After more than ten minutes, a phone call came in, asking Jiuzhi about some situations. Both parties agreed to meet in Huishan Town this afternoon.
Around three o’clock in the afternoon.
A pickup truck arrived at the agreed location.
Jiuzhi stood by the road, looking around.
“Is it Mr. Pan Shuibo?”
A young man leaned out of the car holding the printed contract documents.
“It’s me! Are you from Hailufeng Company?”
“Hello! I’m Li Haibing, a salesman from the Qiongdong Office of the Qiongzhou Branch of Hailufeng Company. Mr. Pan, please get in the car! Let’s go take a look at your land first. Do you have the relevant documents to prove the ownership of the land?”
“I brought it.” Jiuzhi opened the car door and got in.
Led by Jiuzhi, they came to the mountains north of Huishan Town and saw the 10-acre betel nut plantation mentioned by the other party.
He took photos of the scene and roughly measured the area of ​​the land. Then he asked Jiuzhi to hold his ID card and stand in the betel nut plantation to explain that this land was his property.
After finishing these things, I came to Jiuzhi’s house.
Nine-fingered wife has already made tea.
As soon as they sat down, Li Haibing got straight to the point: “Mr. Pan, the variety you chose to plant is Little Mike bananas. I suggest you change it.”
“Why?” Jiuzhi was confused. He chose Little Mac because its yield per mu can generally reach more than 5,000 kilograms.
After taking a sip of tea, Li Haibing smiled and explained: “The terrain here is hilly. Even if the typhoon affects us, it won’t be too serious. Little Mike is a dwarf variety and can withstand typhoons.”
“Is it okay?”
“Mr. Pan, you overlooked an important point. Little Mike bananas rely on volume to win, so their retail price won’t be too high. We estimate the retail price to be around RMB 8 per kilogram.”
“That’s not a small amount.” Jiuzhi thought this variety was good. At this retail price, the purchase price he got at the farm gate was about 4.8 per kilogram, and 5,000 kilograms was about 24,000 yuan.
“Listen to me first.” Li Haibing shook his head. “The estimated retail price of Big Red Mike is about 12 yuan per kilogram. The yield per mu is about 3,500 kilograms, and the income per mu is about 25,000 yuan.”
“Is that about right?”
However, Li Haibing smiled and reminded: “The stems and leaves of Little Mike are only 6 tons at most, but the stems and leaves of Big Red Mike are 10 tons. In addition, the purchase price of Big Red Mike straw is 1,200 yuan, while the purchase price of Little Mike banana and New Big Red Mike banana straw is only 1,000 yuan.”
Hearing this, Jiuzhi also reacted.
“If you were not in the mountains, I would not recommend you to plant Big Red Mike, because the plants of this variety are tall and will be more obviously affected by the wind in the plains, and they are prone to breaking.”
Of course, Li Haibing said this mainly because he was applying the situation of an ordinary banana.
In fact, whether it is Little Mac, Red Big Mac or New Big Mac, their straw strength is higher than that of ordinary bananas.
The reason is that its fiber strength is higher than that of ordinary bananas. When Jiang Miao was selecting these new varieties, he focused on enhancing its wind resistance. There are only two ways to enhance the wind resistance of bananas.
One is to enhance its cellulose strength.
The second is to increase the diameter of the straw.
The stalks of Little Mac and New Gros Mac are slightly thicker in diameter than those of regular bananas, but their fiber strength is about the same as jute.
The diameter of the Red Big Michel banana’s stalk is very thick, about 1.5 to 1.7 times that of ordinary bananas. Its fiber strength is similar to that of Manila hemp. In addition, the cellulose content of the stalk of this variety is about 28%.
This is also the reason why Hailufeng Company wants to purchase these banana stalks.
One ton of Big Michel banana stalks can produce about 250 kilograms of Manila hemp-like fiber.
Similarly, one ton of Little Mike bananas and New Gros Mike bananas can produce about 200 kilograms of jute-like fiber.
One acre of Red Big Michel bananas has 10 tons of straw, which can be used to produce about 2.5 tons of Manila hemp.
Hailufeng Company purchased these banana structures in order to produce hemp fibers, which have a wide range of uses, such as clothing fabrics, sacks, hemp carpets, agricultural hemp mulch, hemp ropes and other products.
After accidentally discovering another use for these new varieties of bananas, Jiang Miao asked the Science and Technology Division to set up a special hemp fiber separation and processing project, preparing to open a factory in the future to extract hemp fibers for the production of various hemp products.
Among them, the jute-like fibers with relatively poor quality can be used to produce hemp ropes, hemp bags, and hemp mulch, and supplied to internal use of the company.
Those stores that have opened can use sacks to replace some of the plastic bags.
Jute and Manila hemp of better quality can be used to produce high-strength cables, clothing fabrics, strength-reinforced filling fibers for resin materials, etc.
It now appears that the fiber from bananas and banana straw is of similar value.
…
After Li Haibing’s explanation.
Nine Fingers decided to plant the Red Big Michel variety.
In fact, Little Mac is not without its merits. That is, its growth cycle is very short. In the tropical environment of Qiongzhou Island, it can be harvested in just five and a half months in summer and extended to six and a half months in winter, so it can be harvested almost twice a year.
The Red Mike needs seven months in summer and nine months in winter on Qiongzhou Island.
As a luxury product, New Gros Mike is not open to growers for cultivation by Hailufeng Company, but it grows it itself. Its growth cycle is similar to that of Red Gros Mike.
The contract has been signed.
Li Haibing did not leave Huishan Town, but visited two other farmers who showed interest in cooperation.
Some people want to grow durian, some people want to grow bananas.
Currently, the Qiongzhou branch manages 50,000 acres of banana plantations and 80,000 acres of durian plantations on Qiongzhou Island.
Nearly 8,000 farmers have signed contracts one after another, among which durian growers have a planting area of ​​57,000 mu and banana growers have a planting area of ​​73,000 mu.
A large proportion of these growers are farmers who previously grew betel nut, and a small proportion are farmers who grew rubber trees.
As for the agricultural companies, big and small, on the island, they are still waiting and watching.
On the one hand, these agricultural companies do not have much confidence in Hailufeng’s new varieties and technologies and dare not take risks. After all, these so-called technologies and new varieties have not even produced a single fruit, so they naturally will not give up easily.
Another reason is that Hailufeng Company’s control over the contracted plantations is too strict, which makes many agricultural companies unacceptable, especially those that already operate fruit chain stores, and will not accept such harsh control.
Hailufeng Company did not comment on this.
Jiang Miao had no interest in other agricultural companies in the first place. Hailufeng Company had to control production capacity and quality, so it was unlikely that it would open its varieties to other agricultural companies and let them smash its own plates.
In addition, agricultural products such as fruits are not food crops related to national security, so Hailufeng Company can monopolize them without any scruples. The authorities will not allow Hailufeng Company to open up seedlings just for the sake of a few fruit growing companies.
As for the local management of Qiongzhou Province, they naturally saw the actions of Hailufeng Company, but they had already received relevant notifications. After knowing some things, they all remained silent.

Người mua: TheAn, 02/01/2025 10:37