Chapter 95 Gangu There are three 1-acre pepper demonstration gardens in Lanshi, Gangu and Jinchuan. Gangu is dominated by Tianjiao No. 1, Lanshi is dominated by Chihong No. sweet pepper, and Jinchuan each accounts for demonstration bases all adopt the order-based planting model. Farmers, cooperatives and enterprises that have signed agreements with Tianhe Seeds purchase seedlings directly from Tianhe Seeds, and when the peppers are ripe, Tianhe will go to purchase them. When certain conditions are met, Tianhe also agrees that farmers can sell their finished peppers to other vendors. At the beginning, Tianhe was unknown among farmers. Tianjiao No. 1 and Chihong No. 1 are also new varieties and have not been tested in the market. Farmers are not very willing to sign orders with Tianhe. However, orders began to increase as Tianhe promised that it could advance payment for materials such as seedlings and agricultural films, and the fees would be deducted when paying for the peppers later. For some strong and reputable enterprises, as well as professional vegetable growing cooperatives, Tianhe also prepaid a certain percentage of the deposit. At the same time, in order to get the agricultural department to assist in promotion among retail investors, Tianhe also set up a regulated special account for chili peppers. In the end, all the risks of the entire order planting process were concentrated on Tianhe.
The cost of conventionally cultivated peppers is about 920 yuan per mu, and Tianhe has at least paid half of it in advance. Not counting the 20 million in the special account for purchasing peppers, Tianhe’s investment in cash has reached 13 or 14 million. The farmers’ income is guaranteed, the relevant departments have achieved political achievements, and Tianhe can achieve the goal of promotion and demonstration. Thanks to the efforts of many parties, the construction of the demonstration base has been carried out so smoothly. …… Gangu County, known as the 'hometown of chili peppers', is one of the earliest counties in the country to cultivate chili peppers. The Gangu-Weihe River area has fertile soil and good irrigation conditions, making it the most suitable area for growing peppers. However, the benefits of growing peppers are far less than those of growing watermelons, onions, garlic sprouts, leeks, etc. Therefore, farmers in Sichuan area are not very enthusiastic about growing peppers. Tianhe’s pepper demonstration base in Sichuan covers an area of less than 1,000 acres. Finally, Tianhe adjusted its strategy and set its breakthrough point on the mountainous plateaus and the north-south mountainous areas where irrigation conditions were not guaranteed. Panshi Town in the mid-mountain area is filled with various buses, trucks and cars. There were seed merchants and large-scale growers invited by Tianhe to attend the promotion meeting, as well as vegetable vendors who came from all over the place. They all poured into the pepper fields circling the mountainous area. Bunches of green peppers were seen hanging on the branches, and staff were shuttling between rows of pepper trees, picking, sorting and shipping the peppers. Pepper is a multi-harvest crop. The fruits are harvested in batches as they mature to reduce nutrient consumption, enhance the pepper's ability to bear fruit again, and increase yield. Large-scale growers and seed dealers are naturally concerned about the yield and quality of peppers. These people are experts. After counting the number of plants and the amount of fruit each plant produces, they know that the yield will not be low. Quan Bangqing is the chairman of a vegetable growing cooperative in Lanzhou. Although pepper is not the main crop grown by the cooperative, 200 acres of pepper were planted this year. Seeing the bumper harvest of peppers in the Gangu Mountains, Quan Bangqing felt a little sad.
Why did he come to attend this shitty promotion meeting! "Lao Quan, if you feel bad, just say it. I won't laugh." The person who was speaking was Zheng Yuan, who also managed a vegetable growing cooperative. He was an old acquaintance of Quan Bangqing, and it was also the only cooperative that planted Tianhe seedlings. They were just red No. 1 sweet pepper seedlings, but the field was now full of big sweet peppers. But to get the most benefit, he plans to wait until the peppers turn red before picking them, as ripe red peppers taste sweeter. Quan Bangqing couldn't stand Zheng Yuan's smug look and said, "This is the peak season for the production and sales of chili peppers. The price is pitifully low, only 4 cents per pound." "But the output is high." While speaking, Zheng Yuan asked the technician walking beside him. "What is Tianhe's estimated fresh pepper production volume?" The technician smiled and said, "Due to different cultivation conditions, the yield of Tianjiao No. 1 varies greatly. In the mountainous plateau in front of us, the yield of fresh pepper per mu can reach more than 3500 catties." Zheng Yuan did the math and said, "Even if it is 3500 catties, the value of one mu of land can be 1400 yuan." “Not high.” "Lao Quan, this is a mountainous area!" Quan Bangqing was speechless. The conditions here were indeed not very good. The most infuriating thing is that even if the yield per mu is only 3500 kilograms, it is higher than the yield of 200 mu of peppers in his cooperative. Calculated according to the amount picked in the first batch, the final yield per mu is only about 3000 kilograms, which is 500 kilograms lower. Tianhe's technicians also smiled and said, "The conditions in these nearby villages are indeed poor, with complex terrain, scarce water resources, limited irrigation conditions, poor soil, and weak ability to resist meteorological disasters." "Farmers mainly grow wheat and corn all year round, with an average income of only 600 to 700 yuan per mu. Villagers often have nothing to do, and most of their annual income comes from working outside. Their family conditions are generally not good, but because of the low income, farmers are more likely to accept the development of the pepper industry." "After Tianhe came, many new irrigation facilities were built. At the same time, in terms of technology, we changed from open-air direct seeding to film-covered transplanting, and strengthened the prevention and control of pests and diseases..." At some point, several small circles formed at the scene, and one Tianhe technician was often surrounded by several growers. "Tianhe has indeed helped increase farmers' income, no wonder the government is working so hard." Someone asked: "How many kilograms does Tianjiao No. 1 High Yield have?" "On land with good conditions, the yield of Tianjiao No. 1 in early spring open field cultivation can reach 5000 kilograms, and the yield per mu in early spring protected land cultivation is nearly kilograms." People around came closer, some were shocked, the output was indeed very tempting. Moreover, peppers are not always sold at 4 cents per pound. There are many times when fresh peppers that are released out of season are sold at one or two yuan per pound. That would be quite a profit. Many people in the crowd were tempted. Of course, there are also people who are dismissive. Ren Fu is 49 years old now. When he was young, he traveled around the country with his father as a peddler and suffered a lot of hardships in life. Since the age of 27, he has been running various businesses.
In 1992, the market was opened. Seeing that the peppers in my hometown were selling well, I started to engage in pepper processing. In 2000, an investment of 13 yuan was made to build a chili products factory, and last year's annual sales reached 20 yuan. When Ren Fu heard people from Tianhe talking about the production of Tianjiao No. 1, he spoke casually. "People in seed companies always have this problem. They brag about the yield, but the reality is something else." Speaking of this, Ren Fu thought of the chili powder and chili shreds produced in his own factory, which were bright red in color, delicate and refreshing, with even stripes. Thanks to its excellent taste, his chili products are very popular among customers. Every year, college students and laborers in this county would take a lot of them with them when they go out as gifts to their friends and guests for them to taste. The products were in short supply, which made him more demanding and picky about raw materials. Gradually, he summed up his experience. “The peppers have a high yield, but they generally don’t taste that good!” When people around thought about it, it seemed to make sense. But they regretted it by noon. Tianhe specially prepared a dish. The spicy aroma and lingering taste of the fried pork with screw peppers make many people unable to stop. What’s unique is that during the frying process, the color of Tianjiao No. 1 gradually changes to an attractive red, accompanied by a fragrant aroma that makes people salivate. The tenderness of the lean pork and the crispness of the chili pepper complement each other, making the whole dish more appetizing. (End of this chapter)