RPAGF #430 - Ding Wei's new mission
#430 - Ding Wei's new mission
"Chairman of Dongda International Agricultural Cooperation and Development Co., Ltd.? Brother Ren, are you asking me to go farming?" Ding Wei, despite his strong mental fortitude, was so astonished by Ren Zhong's request that his eyes almost popped out.
He was, after all, a general leading troops, and leading one of the most capable main forces in the country at that. How could Ren Zhong think that he didn't need to lead troops and should instead go fix the Earth?
If he hadn't known Ren Zhong for over a decade and known that Ren Zhong always thought things through carefully and would never joke about serious matters, Ding Wei might have gotten angry at someone else.
"Old Ding, don't rush, take a look at this plan first." Ren Zhong handed over his plan.
Ding Wei took the plan from Ren Zhong. Although he was full of doubts, his years of camaraderie and trust in Ren Zhong's abilities allowed him to quickly adjust his mindset and carefully read through it. As he turned the pages, his expression gradually changed from doubt to seriousness, and then to thoughtfulness.
"Hmm… this isn't just about farming." Ding Wei put down the plan and looked up at Ren Zhong, a new understanding flashing in his eyes. "You're planning to combine modern agricultural technology, international cooperation, and our strategic vision to create a world-leading agricultural cooperation platform? That's quite a feat!"
Ren Zhong smiled slightly and nodded, "That's right, Old Ding. You see, with the global population growth and the pressure on resources and the environment, the sustainable development of agriculture has become a consensus in the international community. And we have advanced agricultural technology, rich management experience, and a strong international cooperation network. Why can't we make a difference in this field? Moreover, agriculture is the foundation of a country, and no matter how times change, its importance will not change."
Ding Wei pondered for a moment, then a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "Well said! Although I, Ding Wei, am a soldier, I also understand the principle of 'supplies go before troops'. If we can succeed in this field, we can not only contribute to the country's food security but also show our strength and wisdom on the international stage."
He patted Ren Zhong on the shoulder and continued, "Brother Ren, I fully support your plan! However, we need to plan carefully how to turn this grand blueprint into reality. I need to think about how to bring in our elite soldiers and generals who are good at strategic planning and organizational management to do this big thing together!"
Ren Zhong's eyes flashed with relief and anticipation: "I knew you, Old Ding, are never one to be bound by convention. With you joining, the future of our Dongda International Agricultural Cooperation and Development Co., Ltd. will be limitless!"
"Brother Ren, I didn't expect you to be so capable, you actually managed to convince Ding Wei to farm overseas," Staff Officer Ye said with some emotion, "Ding Wei is taking off his military uniform to do this, facing such a big turning point in his life, he can take it up and put it down, it is indeed worthy of our admiration."
With the upper levels reaching an agreement, the operations below were much simpler and faster.
Agricultural experts, translators, business representatives, technicians, farm workers, middle managers... a framework of several thousand people was quickly built.
Ding Wei had managed thousands of troops, so managing these few thousand people was not difficult for him. In terms of business, there were naturally vice presidents who were proficient in international cooperation to support him.
According to the planned direction, cooperation was first carried out with neighboring countries. Due to suitable conditions, after a short period of negotiation, cooperation agreements were signed with the surrounding areas to carry out demonstration farms for hybrid high-yield crops. The first batch signed was 5 million mu of contiguous farmland in 5 countries, most of which were rice, and a small part was wheat.
After signing the agreement, Ding Wei immediately took the team straight to the fields.
The first stop was Sawadika.
The first place Ding Wei and his team cooperated with was Pamei Village. After getting off the bus, they were greeted by layers of terraced fields. As far as the eye could see, the fields had already been plowed and were ready for planting. In the distance, traditional Thai wooden houses were scattered among the green trees, their colorful roofs shimmering in the sunlight. The small river beside the village flowed gently, the clear water reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and the swaying coconut trees on the bank.
"Mr. Ding, this is Pamei Village, where we are carrying out hybrid rice cooperation. It has a population of more than 1,000 and a total of more than 5,000 mu of paddy fields. This time, we are taking out more than 3,000 mu for demonstration," said Mr. Su Pa, the local agricultural official who accompanied them.
"Before planting hybrid rice, the local area had two harvests a year, with an average yield of about 300 kilograms per mu."
After listening to Mr. Su Pa's introduction, Ding Wei nodded. It seemed that the village was doing well. With more than 4 mu of land per capita and a grain yield of more than 1,000 kilograms, they would have a surplus of several hundred kilograms a year. In contrast, most rural areas in Dongda could not reach this level.
"I heard that hybrid rice can increase the yield to more than 500 kilograms per mu, so most people in the village are very supportive of changing the variety."
After hearing Mr. Su Pa's words from the translator, Ding Wei heard the unspoken meaning.
"Mr. Supa, does this mean that some people are against planting hybrid rice?" Ding Wei asked. With over 3,000 mu of demonstration plots out of more than 5,000 mu of paddy fields, it seemed that quite a few people were opposed.
"Yes, to be honest, some people have an acceptance period for new things, which is not surprising," Mr. Supa said frankly.
In fact, the situation was even worse, but Mr. Supa was too embarrassed to say it.
After hearing this, Ding Wei's face didn't change at all, but deep down, he was a little apprehensive.
It seemed that this first shot would be a bit difficult.
"Mr. Supa, Mr. Supa, regarding my family's 15 mu of land, I've been thinking, it's better to plant traditional rice. If this new hybrid rice doesn't work out, who will take care of the food for my family of four?" Sure enough, as they entered the village, a dark-skinned, middle-aged man in his forties grabbed Mr. Supa.
Although Ding Wei couldn't understand their local dialect, the accompanying translator quickly whispered the general meaning to Ding Wei.
Sure enough, the problem had come.
Ding Wei frowned slightly, then showed a gentle and understanding expression. Through the translator, after asking the man's name, he said to the middle-aged man, "Mr. Boding, I understand your concerns. Food is the foundation of life, and especially the reliance on traditional crops is completely understandable. However, let Mr. Supa and I explain to you about hybrid rice, which may help alleviate some of your concerns."
The villager Boding nodded, signaling Ding Wei to continue. Ding Wei continued, "Hybrid rice is a high-yield crop bred through scientific selection. Its yield is usually much higher than traditional rice, which means that you can harvest more grain on the same land. This is actually a great guarantee for your family's food security."
"Of course, we understand that the promotion of any new technology takes time and trust. To this end, our team has been conducting experimental field planting here for many years. The data proves that hybrid rice is not only high-yielding, but also highly adaptable and more resistant to pests and diseases. In addition, we will also provide full technical support and guidance to ensure that every farmer can successfully plant it."
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Ding Wei paused, observing the middle-aged man's changing expression. Seeing him thoughtful, he continued, "Moreover, considering your potential risk concerns, we can adopt a phased promotion approach. For example, this year you can try planting a portion of your land as an experiment to see the actual results. If you are satisfied, it won't be too late to expand the planting area next year. This will not only not affect your current food supply, but also give you a chance to experience and judge for yourself."
After hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He turned to look at Mr. Supa, seemingly seeking his opinion. Mr. Supa smiled and comforted him in the local language, and then said to Ding Wei, "Mr. Ding, your proposal is very pertinent. The villagers will seriously consider it. Indeed, if hybrid rice is really as you say, it will be a great boost to the future development of the village."
Ding Wei smiled and replied, "I am very happy to hear such feedback, Mr. Boding. We look forward to working with you and the villagers to jointly promote the development of agriculture, so that every piece of land can produce more hope and harvest."
There were many villagers encountered along the way. Some greeted Supa and left, but five or six, like the first person, asked to withdraw from the hybrid rice demonstration field.
Ding Wei simply listened to the numbers reported by the accompanying translator and summarized them. Just on this few hundred meters of road, the owners of nearly a hundred mu of land disagreed with planting hybrid rice.
They walked all the way to the village chief's house.
"Village Chief Badiwa, I have brought the distinguished guest to your house. This is Mr. Ding Wei, a distinguished guest from Dongda University," Mr. Supa said with a smile to an old man with gray hair. The old man was not tall, about 1.6 meters tall, and his skin was dark from long-term exposure to the sun.
"Welcome, Mr. Ding." Badiwa looked at Ding Wei and his party and warmly welcomed Ding Wei with local etiquette. The two sides exchanged greetings for a while before entering Badiwa's house.
They sat in their small courtyard and began to talk about business.
After a brief communication, the situation was indeed different from the beginning. Now, the owners of more than 1,000 mu of land have requested to withdraw from the demonstration. The remaining two thousand or so were staunch supporters left by Village Chief Badiwa himself.
It's just that everyone really doesn't have much confidence in hybrid rice.
"Mr. Badiwa, today I will make a statement to you in front of Mr. Supa. If the grain yield is lower than your yield last year under the condition that there is no natural disaster, according to the requirements of our technicians for cultivation and topdressing, we will compensate for the shortfall according to the double compensation standard." Ding Wei knew that if he couldn't stabilize these people, I am afraid that there will be many wavering people in the future planting process, so he directly gave them a guarantee!
Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Badiwa's expression shook after hearing the translation. "Mr. Ding, can you ensure that what you said can be fulfilled?" Badiwa asked.
After all, he also bears a lot of pressure from the villagers. If Ding Wei can guarantee the bottom line, then his work will be much easier.
"I am sure that this can be written into all the hybrid rice cooperation demonstration points that we are helping your country," Ding Wei said in a firm tone.
"I am very confident in our hybrid rice. In fact, yields of 300 kg and 400 kg per mu are conservative figures. After you harvest the first season, you will know that this is a completely new variety, which cannot be understood by common sense. In our Dongda University, hybrid rice has been planted on more than 200 million mu of rice, and it will be fully replaced in the next few years."
"Okay, since Mr. Ding is so confident, I will definitely do my best to persuade our villagers to participate in this hybrid rice demonstration field project."
After Ding Wei inspected the demonstration site in Sawa Dika, he felt that although it was not as ideal as he had imagined, the foundation was still there, especially the farmers here were relatively diligent. They had completed the plowing of the farmland early, and filled the rice straw stalks and other organic matter from last year into the mud. After half a year of fermentation, most of them turned into gas and ran away, and the rotten parts became fertilizer, which is already much stronger than ordinary land.
Therefore, after plowing in May, under the guidance of the technicians who stayed here, they transplanted rice seedlings according to the standard row spacing, and then carried out the first topdressing, everything was carried out in an orderly manner. (End of this chapter)