I See through Everything

Chapter 268: Chapter 143: The Big Picture Comes First

"Thank you, General Manager Jiang." Xue Hua smiled and nodded as well.

Jiang Miao smiled back. "I’m not someone who can’t see the bigger picture. If I can contribute to the nation’s development and make a profit at the same time, why wouldn’t I take the opportunity?"

The two parties discussed some further details.

Next, they arrived at the Yandun Mountain Durian Farm, located behind the Yandun Mountain Breeding Farm.

Looking at the sprouting genetically modified durian trees, Academician Li and the others weren’t particularly impressed. After all, none of them were in the durian industry. Their attention was drawn to the lush, green Purple Alfalfa growing on the terraced fields.

Dr. Wang, having previously worked at the General Station for Animal Husbandry, immediately squatted down and plucked a handful of alfalfa leaves. "General Manager Jiang, what variety is this Purple Alfalfa?"

"This is an experimental variety our company introduced last year."

"What are the characteristics of this new variety?" Dr. Wang asked curiously.

"This one was specially developed for the Southern Yangtze River Region. It’s also quite shade-tolerant, designed primarily to utilize the space under forest canopies."

Hearing Jiang Miao’s explanation, Academician Li glanced at the surroundings. "So, you’re saying this variety was bred specifically for under-canopy cultivation?"

"That’s right, Academician Li."

Dr. Wang continued, "What’s the estimated yield per mu? On this type of terraced mountain field, I mean."

"On open mountain land without a canopy, the fresh grass yield is about 12 tons per mu, with four harvests a year. In an under-canopy environment, the yield is around 6 to 9 tons per mu, with two to three harvests a year. It depends on the tree density and latitude."

Dr. Wang was taken aback by these figures. "General Manager Jiang, are you certain?"

"Of course. Our company ran small-scale trials last year under the same extensive management conditions on terraced mountain fields."

Now Dr. Wang was getting excited. He pressed on, "What’s the crude protein content of this variety?"

"At the early bloom stage, it’s 26–27%. At full bloom, it’s 25–26%. During the podding stage, it’s 23–24%, and at seed maturity, it’s 20–22%."

"Incredible! This variety is comparable to the genetically modified Purple Alfalfa from America." After this exclamation, Dr. Wang suddenly recalled something. "General Manager Jiang, have you registered the genetic patents for this variety? If not, you must do so as soon as possible to prevent it from being stolen by foreign breeding companies."

"Yes, that’s a crucial point to be aware of," Academician Li added in agreement.

However, as the group looked at the security guards posted around the area, they figured Hailufeng Company’s security measures must be quite strict. It seemed Jiang Miao was very serious about security and confidentiality.

Jiang Miao smiled. "We’ve already registered the various patents. However, once we begin large-scale distribution, it’s highly probable that foreign entities will get their hands on our seeds. That’s unavoidable."

Dr. Wang was relieved to hear Jiang Miao had taken precautions. "As long as the patents are registered, you’re protected. If another party uses your seeds, they won’t be able to sell Purple Alfalfa in international trade. They’ll only be able to use it on their own farms or as parent stock for crossbreeding."

"General Manager Jiang, this variety has excellent potential, especially for the southern regions," Academician Li noted, his mind on the nation’s feed industry security. "If we can utilize the under-canopy space on these terraced mountainsides, our domestic Purple Alfalfa supply will no longer be at the mercy of the Americans."

"That’s a crucial point. Our domestic production capacity for Purple Alfalfa Hay is far too low. We have to import 1.5 million tons annually, and 80% of that comes from America." Having worked at the General Station for Animal Husbandry, Dr. Wang understood the industry’s struggles intimately.

America’s genetically modified Purple Alfalfa not only boasts a very high yield, but its crude protein content is also consistently between 20% and 26%. And because it’s a GM crop, it doesn’t require many pesticides.

In contrast, domestically produced Purple Alfalfa consists mainly of traditionally bred varieties, as no genetically modified versions have been approved for cultivation yet.

As a result, the yield per mu for domestic Purple Alfalfa is relatively low, and its crude protein content is inconsistent, ranging anywhere from 16% to 26%.

Dr. Wang asked with great curiosity, "General Manager Jiang, was this variety created through hybridization? Or did you use genetic modification techniques? If it’s a GM crop, I fear getting it approved for the market won’t be easy."

"It’s not a GMO. It was developed through conventional crossbreeding and induced mutation."

Upon hearing it was a traditionally bred variety developed through natural hybridization and induced mutation, the smile on Dr. Wang’s face grew even wider. "That’s excellent! At least you won’t have to go through the safety reviews for GMOs. As long as you can stabilize the variety’s genetic traits, it will almost certainly pass the market approval process. The country is in desperate need of high-yield, high-protein Purple Alfalfa right now."

"Indeed. If this variety’s traits can be stabilized, even if it can only be grown in the south, it would be enough to change the global market for Purple Alfalfa." Academician Li agreed that the variety was immensely valuable.

One had to understand that in the southern provinces, each one typically had 20 to 40 million mu of commercial forests. Lingnan and Guangxi Province, for instance, each had around 25 million mu of such forests.

Even if not all the under-canopy space in these commercial forests could be utilized, tapping into just one-tenth of it would represent enormous production capacity.

This was especially true for large-scale orchards and plantations for oil-tea camellia, rubber, and agarwood. Purple Alfalfa could be used perfectly as a transitional crop in the early stages.

After all, a rubber plantation, for example, needs six to eight years of growth before tapping can begin. During that entire pre-production period, the plantation generates no income, only expenses.

The same was true for agarwood plantations. Even with artificial intervention, the trees required at least ten years before they could be harvested.

Why did so few people invest in commercial forestry nowadays? The reason was simple: the investment cycle was far too long.

For many commercial forests, the saying went: a father plants, a son harvests; or even a grandfather plants, and a grandson harvests.

In the current economic climate, such long-term investments were simply too risky. They were subject not only to market risks but also to natural hazards.

Should a disaster like a wildfire, typhoon, or landslide strike during the growing period, the entire investment could be wiped out in an instant.

Xue Hua, standing to one side, was also extremely interested in this new Purple Alfalfa variety. "General Manager Jiang, do you have any spare seeds? Sell me some, and I can try planting a batch along the banks of my fish ponds."

"Not at the moment. We have over two hundred thousand mu of our own mountain land to plant," Jiang Miao said, shaking his head.

"Over two hundred thousand mu?" Dr. Wang’s eyes went wide. "General Manager Jiang, I was just about to ask—what are you planting on all that mountain land?"

Jiang Miao explained, "Here in Eastern Guangdong, we’re planting durian. Over in Gannan, we’re planting oil-tea camellia."

"Durian? Oil-tea camellia?" Dr. Wang was baffled. "I understand planting oil-tea camellia in Gannan, but can durian really be grown in Eastern Guangdong?"

"We’re using a new technology." Jiang Miao pointed to the genetically modified kapok trees that were already sprouting. "This is a GM kapok, which can be used as a rootstock for natural durian, allowing us to overcome some environmental limitations."

"I see." Dr. Wang understood immediately. Although he had no idea how mature Hailufeng Company’s technology was, the fact that Jiang Miao dared to plant on such a massive scale meant he must be confident in his methods.

The group chatted for over an hour.

They had lunch at Hailufeng Company, after which everyone hurriedly departed for home.

After all, today was the "Little New Year" in the North, and the Spring Festival was just a few days away.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!