Chapter 285 - 149: Unexpected Harvest

Chapter 285: Chapter 149: Unexpected Harvest

"I heard they’re doing a desert agriculture project."

"What?" The bespectacled guy’s voice suddenly shot up.

"AHEM!" A teacher in the front row turned around, reminding them to mind their etiquette in the hall.

The bespectacled guy lowered his head with an embarrassed smile, then pulled Little Fatty and the guy with braces closer to ask in a hushed voice.

"Little Fatty, is Hailufeng Company’s Monan Branch really doing a desert agriculture project?"

"Why would I lie? They have a project brief on their official website, but I don’t know the specific details."

The bespectacled guy, Xiaozi, looked hesitant.

Seemingly noticing Xiaozi’s hesitation, Little Fatty tried to persuade him, "It’d be too hard to start a business back home. You’re better off working at Hailufeng Company for a few years to gain some experience. Then, if you still really want to start your own business, you can quit and go back. At least you’ll have saved up a good amount of money."

Torn, Xiaozi contemplated his future. ’Even though my family has a lot of land, it’s still uncertain whether my parents would support me. In my years at university, I’ve only managed to save 40,000 yuan from work-study programs and summer jobs. My family could probably give me 100,000 yuan at most, bringing the total to just 140,000.

’That’s obviously not enough to start a business.’

Mulling it over, he started to think Little Fatty’s suggestion was a good one. ’If I can work at Hailufeng Company for a few years, I can gain experience and save money at the same time. If things don’t work out there, it won’t be too late to go back and start my own business then.’

"I’ve decided. I’m going to write my resume when I get back. Little Fatty, can I borrow your resume template as a reference?"

"No problem."

Before they knew it, Jiang Miao and Shuya had finished their presentation.

Amidst the envious gazes of the underclassmen and a round of enthusiastic applause, Jiang Miao concluded his speech.

「After the meeting.」

Principal Yan and other university leaders invited Jiang Miao and his wife to the office. They discussed the two projects Hailufeng Company had submitted for the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

"Professor Jiang, the internal review for your company’s two projects is complete. Both won first prize. We’re just waiting for the official announcement in June. Congratulations."

"Oh? I’m truly flattered." Jiang Miao had expected they would get second prize.

To the side, Professor Zhang, the Dean of the School of Aquaculture, smiled and shared some inside information. "Originally, the review committee planned to give the artificial eel breeding technology a first prize and the artificial White Truffle cultivation technology a second prize. But then Academician Liu from the Feed Association, along with support from the Lingnan Agricultural Science Academy, managed to get the White Truffle cultivation technology bumped up to first prize as well."

"I see." It dawned on Shuya. She knew her project might not have won first prize, mainly because the artificial White Truffle cultivation technology was currently monopolized by Hailufeng Company and had yet to form an entire industry chain.

The artificial eel breeding technology, however, was a different story.

Hailufeng Company’s continuous and stable supply of eel fry had freed the domestic eel farming industry from the limitations of wild eel fry catches while also reducing cultivation costs for farmers.

Furthermore, the complementary feed formulas for rapid eel growth and for eliminating their muddy taste had lowered farming costs even more and expanded the market for eels.

According to statistics from the Aquaculture Association.

Since last September, the market share of eels without the muddy taste had skyrocketed. Their retail price was also higher than that of ordinary eels, averaging 10 to 15 yuan more per kilogram.

As of early March this year, mud-free eels already accounted for 57% of the market. It was estimated that by the end of the year, ordinary eels with a muddy taste would be completely phased out.

Only an industry like this, one that affected an entire supply chain and involved a large number of farmers, was qualified to receive a first prize for the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

Jiang Miao looked at Professor Ke, the Dean of the School of Botany. "Professor Ke, my wife would like to recruit a doctoral student from Wudaokou University’s medical experimental program this year. We hope the university can provide its support."

"Teacher Li mentioned this to me and Principal Yan at noon. In principle, there’s no problem." Professor Ke nodded.

"Then thank you for the university’s help."

"You’re welcome." Professor Ke asked curiously, "Professor Jiang, I heard your company is investing in desert agriculture in Monan recently? You should be cautious about that. Professor Yi’s team at Yu Zhou Transportation University is very experienced in desert reclamation, but the costs remain stubbornly high."

This was related to Professor Ke’s field of research. He primarily studied changes in land use, the protection and utilization of arable land, and the optimal allocation of national land space.

However, his research was mainly focused on the Yangtze River Middle and Lower Reaches. As a professional in the field, Professor Ke was all too aware of the current state of desert agriculture in the country.

Although Yu Zhou Transportation University’s desert soilization project was making a big splash, as an industry insider, Professor Ke knew that the problem with the technology wasn’t that it was ineffective, but that the costs were too high. Furthermore, it could only be promoted in deserts with relatively abundant rainfall or a nearby source of irrigation.

Currently, for that team’s desert soilization technology—not including costs like land leveling or agricultural equipment—the cost of consumables for the special soil binder alone was between 12,000 and 18,000 yuan per acre.

For context, if you’re working with level desert land worth reclaiming, the cost per acre—including land rent, agricultural equipment, irrigation, harvesting, and seedlings—is around 3,000 to 4,200 yuan (not including the farmer’s personal labor).

Clearly, a reclamation cost of 12,000 to 18,000 yuan per acre was far too high.

Take planting soybeans in Monan as an example. The average yield for common soybeans is about 730 kilograms per acre. The purchase price is between 3.6 and 4.3 yuan per kilogram. Even at the highest price, one acre of soybeans only generates about 3,140 yuan in revenue; at the lowest price, it’s a mere 2,630 yuan.