Chapter 283 Agriculture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The land area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Africa is huge, land prices are low, labor resources are abundant, workers’ wages are relatively low, and food prices are high.
If there is a successful planting model, it will be very beneficial to the commercial development of the company.
In this aspect, Jiahe undoubtedly has a natural advantage.
Guo Yang had planned how to use natural energy before going abroad, and Africa was also an important point.
The inspection report in his hand was compiled by Yu Honghai and others in four months.
The direction of the investigation also came from Guo Yang’s original instructions in the capital.
Four months ago, Guo Yang met with Congolese Minister of Agriculture Francois Nzanga, and the two had a good conversation.
At the same time, information from the Ministry of Agriculture was consulted.
The three directions of comprehensive development of palm oil, grain and agriculture were finally determined, and they were all concentrated in the central and western regions.
Stay away from unrest-prone eastern and southern mining areas such as the Great Lakes region.
However, in this report, Guo Yang saw that in addition to Equatoria and Oriental Provinces, Yu Honghai also recommended Katanga Province in the southeast, just on the edge of the Great Lakes Region.
Guo Yang looked at Yu Honghai and asked: "What are the requirements for developing oil palm plantations in Katanga Province?"
Yu Honghai muttered: "The climate conditions in northern Katanga Province are It is similar to Equateur Province and is suitable for planting oil palm trees, but Katanga Province is close to the mining area and has huge advantages in cross-border logistics and transportation. In the future, if Jiahe’s products want to return to China, they can use the mining channel.”
Yu Honghai brought a map of Africa, "In Congo (DRC), the most suitable areas for developing agriculture are Equateur and Oriental Provinces, but the roads, bridges, and docks in these two places are badly damaged, and the Congo River is also fast-flowing, with more than 100 kilometers in the middle. Due to the impact of the waterfall, transportation costs are extremely high
Moreover, there is a lack of storage facilities in these two areas, and crops can easily deteriorate in the local high temperature weather. Therefore, the long-term planning of these two provinces is also for oil palm plantations. "
Guo Yang stared at the map for a moment. The two provinces are near the equator and have dense river networks. They are indeed suitable for the development of agriculture, but the problem is also very realistic.
What about Katanga Province?
Also near the equator
But the terrain is more of a plateau
“Katanga Province is also deep inland?”
“Lubumbashi, the province of Katanga Province, is the mining center of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the second largest city. It is close to the lake area. The surrounding countries have gathered mining companies from all over the world, and their consumption power is not bad."
Yu Honghai paused and said: "At the same time, the railways here have been maintained for a long time, and the cobalt ore imported from the country is not bad. Minerals also start from here, one goes east and gets on the boat from Maputo, Mozambique, but more goes all the way south through southern Africa, and gets on the boat from Cape Town and returns home.”
“From international transportation. It seems that Katanga Province is indeed more convenient.”
Guo Yang already knew from Lin Bu’s mouth that the initial tone of domestic aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is to exchange infrastructure for mineral resources.
Large central state-owned enterprises such as China Railway, China Construction, China Hydropower, Luqiao, and Gezhouba, as well as Minmetals, Huayou Cobalt, Zijin Mining, and Luoyang Molybdenum have successively invested in Congo.
Infrastructure investment is concentrated in the capital Kinshasa and Matadi on the lower reaches of the Congo River, while Katanga and North and South Kivu provinces are home to many mining companies.
The two provinces of Equator and Oriental, which are suitable for the development of agriculture, have received very little aid.
If Jiahe wants to break out here, it can only do so as a long-term breakthrough.
Guo Yang thought of a question, "Can the Kabila government completely control the land of Katanga?"
Yu Honghai was stunned and said: "That side is mostly under the control of Vice President Bemba's army. There are also opposition militants in the eastern mountainous area, but peacekeeping forces from various countries are mainly concentrated there, so there is no problem in terms of security."
“In fact, the land in Equateur and Oriental Provinces is mainly controlled by tribal chiefs, but I have met with senior officials from Equateur Province, and he is the local tribal chief. There are not big problems with the land.”
Guo Yang remembered a number in the inspection report, "100,000 hectares?"
Yu Honghai said: "Yes, we have reached an intention to build an oil palm plantation of 100,000 hectares, and we will directly give it to We have 100 hectares of land.”
“That can be used to build nurseries first.”
"Yes, that's the plan."
Land in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is very cheap. For just a few dozen yuan per acre, you can buy the right to use it for 20 to 30 years.
If there are no summarized four issues including land disputes, transportation, no restrictions on the import of agricultural products, and laws.
Jiahe’s development here will not be troubled in any way.
If the difficulty is clear, then you only need to avoid it in advance. If you cannot avoid it, then solve the difficulty.
This was the tone of the discussion between Guo Yang and Yu Honghai. Retreat was impossible.
Guo Yang also made the decision on the final development plan.
Like the national team, Jiahe will first focus on the capital Kinshasa, planting corn, cassava, rice and other short-term crops to develop the local economy.
At the same time, fruit tree and oil palm plantations are developed in the Bas-Congo region.
In the long term, the project focuses on the development of oil palm planting and processing in Equateur and Katanga provinces.
The goal is to develop and plant more than 1 million hectares of oil palm trees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Palm oil is the vegetable oil with the largest production and trade volume in the world.
China’s edible oil self-sufficiency rate is about 30%, of which palm oil relies entirely on imports, accounting for 20% of total domestic edible oil consumption.
Generally speaking, one hectare of oil palm plantation can produce 5 tons of palm oil, and 90% of the palm oil can be converted into biodiesel.
Guo Yang can also use seed stores to cultivate competitive varieties.
From a business logic point of view, there is no problem.
This is the main line plan.
If the goal is more ambitious, the Democratic Republic of Congo can be transformed into the breadbasket of Africa. With its more than 80 million hectares of arable land, it has the potential to feed the entire Africa.
But now that I think about it, it’s still a little far away, so let’s do it bit by bit.
In addition, there are some secondary focuses, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, pasture, livestock...
And build some roads and ferries connecting grain production areas and consumption areas to facilitate the production and sale of crops.
The plan is finalized.
Yu Honghai immediately arranged for someone to start organizing the documents.
Guo Yang is waiting for the visiting delegation sent from China, which is composed of leaders, companies, and expert teams.
Rather than communicating with the Congolese government alone, it is definitely more secure to participate in agricultural projects in the name of state aid.
While waiting, Guo Yang was not idle either.
The communication with the country has been maintained. The video conference has not been completed yet, but sending emails and making phone calls every day are necessary.
There is a 7-hour time difference between Kinshasa and China, but neither Guo Yang nor the domestic management took this into consideration.
For urgent matters, please contact us directly.
So far, all businesses are going smoothly, and Hexi Dairy and Kaixin Farm have experienced a wave of rapid growth.
The grain aided by the Jiahe Grain and Oil Plan is also on its way, along with the first batch of agricultural machinery.
This is the first time that Jiahe has conducted cross-ocean grain trade. In a period when international grain prices continue to soar, this will explore a suitable trade channel for Jiahe.
On this day, Guo Yang had a rare free time and wanted to visit Hubei Dadi Company.
The distance between the two sides is only dozens of kilometers.
Call Luo Xiu and Yu Honghai, along with two veterans, Cannon and Hare, get on the off-road vehicle and set off all the way.
It has rained a lot in the past two or three days, but Guo Yang has seen what silty soil is, and its water permeability is not very fast.
Half an hour after the rain, as long as there are no puddles, cars can drive smoothly.
No wonder there is a saying that there are no powerful countries in the tropics.
This tropical rainforest climate environment is simply a nightmare for the development of agricultural civilization.
The car was driving unsteadily on the dirt road, and Guo Yang also observed the rural scenery along the way.
The fields are mostly filled with cassava and corn.
Guo Yang has no criteria for judging cassava, but corn cultivation is really miserable. A yield of one to two hundred kilograms per mu is normal, and a yield of three to four hundred kilograms is considered intensive farming.
The only advantage is that there is a lot of room for improvement. With the current level of international assistance, the yield per mu will be estimated to be three to four hundred kilograms by 2024.
Poverty is also really poor.
The houses are mainly thatched houses. Bananas and oil palm trees can often be seen in front of and behind the houses, and some even raise chickens and ducks.
A shirtless black kid sat in front of the door and stared at the passing cars.
Occasionally I see busy farmers, mostly with knives and hoe heads. Farm tools such as plows, harrows, and columbians, as well as livestock such as cattle and horses, are completely missing.
The soil is inherently deficient and the tools are backward, resulting in large tracts of land being barren.
When it was time to farm, he went to light a fire. Guo Yang couldn't help but sigh: "It's really slash and burn farming!"
Luo Xiu also went abroad for the first time and said: "I'm too poor. , in comparison, there is so much happiness in China.”
"There's no comparison at all," said Yu Honghai, who has been abroad for some time. "But these farmers are still not aggressive."
"They are all civilians with no power to restrain themselves."
Guo Yang looked at these thatched houses and remained silent. In fact, This kind of house still exists in China. Going back ten years, it is very common.
It’s just that the country is developing too fast.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been facing various problems.
Guo Yang didn't mention this either. He looked at the oil palm trees passing behind him from time to time and said, "Find a yard with oil palm trees to stop later. The trees should be tall."
"Okay, no problem."
In many villages, there are oil palm trees planted near the front and back of the houses. Those in front and back of the houses also clean under the trees for hygienic needs.
But there are no traces of management measures.
After a while, Guo Yang saw two or three unique oil palm trees. They were tall and straight, with thick trunks, lush branches and leaves, and most of all, they had a lot of fruits.
There was a black child sitting in front of the door playing.
Guo Yang reminded: "Just park there! Have you brought anything to eat?"
The car parked on the side of the road quickly attracted the attention of several black women and children.
“I brought candy.”
Guo Yang glanced at the sturdy cannon in surprise, “Give it to me.”
After taking the candy, Guo Yang got out of the car and came to the family's thatched house. He gave the candy to the child, and then pointed to the fruit on the oil palm tree next to him.
Language barrier, only then did I remember that I didn’t bring a translator. Congo (DRC) is a French-speaking country with many tribal languages.
The two sides could only make gestures for a while. Soon, the black child roughly understood what Guo Yang meant.
Then...
Turn around and run away.
After a while, an adult man came back.
After talking a lot, Guo Yang didn’t understand a single word, so he had to point to the fruit clusters under the oil palm tree.
The man was still screaming strangely.
Guo Yang tentatively took out a converted Congolese franc.
The black man then laughed.
Guo Yang also followed the gesture and said, "Help me get the fruit down, and I can give you the money." The black man nodded.
Guo Yang and several others came to the tree and cleaned it very clean. There were also traces of cutting leaves and harvesting fruits on the tree, which showed that it had been managed.
Only the tree is very tall.
When Guo Yang was still wondering how to harvest oil palm fruits, he saw a black man moving a bamboo pole that was placed sideways next to the oil palm tree. There were knots on the bamboo pole. This thin man The black man took his knife and climbed up the bamboo pole.
Guo Yang was stunned.
How are these oil palm fruits harvested?
Guo Yang learned from Yu Honghai’s inspection report that generally speaking, a family needs to pick fruits every two months or so.
But the fruit yield, quality and processing level here are not good enough to meet modern food safety requirements.
Oil palm cultivation and production are basically in a state of self-destruction.
Along the way, only the oil palm tree in this black family's home could be noticed, but I didn't expect that the harvesting technique was so special.
After a while, a large bunch of dark red fruits fell from the tree.
Already mature.
The weight is not light either.
This black guy is quite honest.
Guo Yang said: "This oil palm fruit looks pretty good. This family has managed it."
"It's not bad." Yu Honghai also tried to pick up the fruit bunch, which was already wet with sweat. Face, "It's really rare."
The action of several people picking up the oil palm fruit immediately made the black guy scream anxiously on the bamboo pole.
Two black children and women also gathered around. People in the village heard the noise and some people ran out to observe.
Guo Yang reacted, took out the banknotes from his bag and motioned to the man on the bamboo pole.
The atmosphere relaxed.
After waiting for the black man who was as thin as a monkey to come down, Guo Yang first handed the money to him, while gesturing and mumbling, "good, good!"
Black man The man seemed to understand and kept smiling.
Guo Yang feels that this black guy is quite honest and honest, and he also has some awareness of oil palm planting and management. Although he is not very good, he is enough to stand out among a group of people who are resigned to their fate.
I suddenly started to think about recruiting.
However, because of the language barrier, I could only write down the location first and ask Yu Honghai to translate it later.
Before leaving, Guo Yang gave each of the new black children two pieces of candy to win some goodwill.
Then he got into the car with the oil palm fruits and left.
The oil palm fruit that I got this time has a very thick shell. Guo Yang recalled the information he read in the past two days and found that it should be a local thick-shelled species.
In addition to thick-shelled species, Congo (DRC) also has thin-shelled species brought from early commercial cultivation, as well as wild species in the rainforest.
Guo Yang’s breeding target this time is also thin-shelled species, but the high-quality characteristics of local species and wild species can also be integrated.
You can never have too many seeds.
We walked forward for a while, and under the guidance of Yu Honghai, we finally arrived at the headquarters of Hubei Dadi Company.
This should be the best farm Guo Yang has seen in the past few days. It has everything from planting to raising various livestock, just like a paradise.
However, it is still technical assistance, cultivating improved seeds, and imparting cultivation techniques for rice, corn, vegetables, mushrooms, etc.
There are also profitable businesses, such as pig and chicken raising in some areas.
When Guo Yang visited the pig farm, he happened to see the scene of pig killing.
Xu Zhong, the person in charge of Dadi Company, said: "Boss Guo, I will have two drinks at our farm today and kill the New Year pig, which can be considered a small New Year."
Guo Yang was stunned. Stunned.
I have been here for a while, and it seems that the Chinese New Year is indeed coming. I haven’t seen the scene of New Year pigs being killed in a few years, but I didn’t expect to see it in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Guo Yang said: "Okay, let's have a pig-killing feast from Mr. Xu today!"
Yu Honghai smiled and said: "Mr. Xu, we agreed last time that we would sell a fat pig to Mr. Xu during the New Year. "We."
"Sell?" Many people made a look of being looked down upon: "For Boss Guo's sake, I'll just take you away if you like it."
"None of us know how to kill pigs!" Yu Honghai smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Why don't you kill them together for us, and I will take the meat away."
"You are so open-minded!" Many people smiled and said: "We will kill the pigs in two days, and you can come and get them then."
"That's a good relationship."
"But it's agreed that we don't have any water pumps or tractors now, so Jiahe will have to get us a few."
Congo (Kinshasa) ) can be sold at such high prices, and clean and hygienic pork can be sold at sky-high prices.
Many people are so happy to send Jiahe fat pigs, naturally because Jiahe can bring help.
Guo Yang went to the machine repair shop that was aided by the state back then. The parts warehouse was filled with tractors, cars and other machinery that had been destroyed by the war.
All of them were missing arms and legs and could no longer be used.
When Jiahe came to invest in Africa, it was natural that it had already started to recruit experts from China, introduced seeds, transported machinery, and even made careful preparations for related processing equipment.
In addition to these,
Jiahe also successively purchased a batch of improved varieties and parent seeds from the dry farming center and Dadi Company.
The corn seeds cultivated in the dry farming center have a yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu, but Gan Jian personally admitted that a large amount of chemical fertilizers and other soil improvement measures were used, which is not universally applicable.
However, Dadi Company’s Hubei No. 6 is an excellent variety. Its promotion area in Congo has reached 60,000 acres. Even the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations orders 30 tons of seeds from it every year.
In the field of rice breeding, China has always ranked first in the world, and it can make achievements no matter where it goes in the world.
Before Jiahe’s seeds are multiplied, Hubei No. 6 will be the main source of grain planting in the early stage.
In the rice fields of Dadi Company Farm, Guo Yang saw a unique scene. A few black guys stood on the ridge of the field, watering the rice with water pipes?
"When in the countryside, do as the Romans do. The silty soil does not retain water." Many people laughed and said, "When it comes to the flowering period, you have to water it from morning to night."
Guo Yang asked doubtfully: "If you water during the flowering period, you must not reduce the yield...or even eliminate it?"
Many people said: "It is better than no harvest, and when Hubei No. 6 was bred, it was I have considered this."
"Really, Mr. Xu, you are like this." Guo Yang gave a thumbs up.
"How shameful! Ten times the effort, in exchange for twice the harvest."
Many people shook their heads and said: "If you really want to grow rice, you have to go to Nigeria, Madagascar, and Tanzania These countries.”
"But Jiahe's main business is fruit trees and palm oil. This is quite a suitable direction. I need Jiahe to take care of me in the future."
"It's about helping each other, Mr. Xu."
The farm covers an area of nearly 100 hectares, and by the time we finish watching, the pig-killing feast will be ready.
Steamy stewed pork, crispy and delicious grilled pork chops, smooth and delicious pig blood cake... there is a dazzling array of delicious food.
In this foreign country, Guo Yang only felt that every dish exuded an alluring aroma.
Let him eat to his heart's content and enjoy the feast.
A meal is a feast for all the guests.
It was already dark. Although Luo Xiu abided by his duties and did not drink, the few of them did not plan to go back tonight and just rested here for the night.
After waiting for another two or three days, Guo Yang also tried to screen various seed breeding combinations.
Oil palm trees, mangoes, bananas, papayas, pineapples...as well as cassava, corn, rice, etc.
Many attempts were made.
There are also some tendencies to choose from.
Finally, the visiting team sent from China is arriving in Congo.
On February 15, Guo Yang met the visiting team at the airport together with the embassy, President Kabila, and Ministry of Agriculture Francois Nzenga.
The leader is actually Lin Bu.
Guo Yang immediately felt relieved. Is Jiahe a bad relationship?
In addition to the Ministry of Forestry, corporate representatives also came, including Central Energy, China Reclamation, and China Water.
As well as the Coconut Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, which is also the oil palm planting expert group contacted by Jiahe.
While shaking hands, Lin Bu said: "I didn't expect Mr. Guo to make this trip himself!"
Guo Yang laughed and said flatteringly: "I won't follow you. The pace of leadership! ”
A few pleasantries were exchanged.
Lin Bu followed and left.
The negotiations did not start immediately, which gave Guo Yang time to communicate with the visiting team and the Coconut Research Institute.
The national team also came with a mission. In addition to free assistance to the International Food and Agriculture Organization, paid assistance is more content and involves many countries.
Jiahe will also carry this train.
In an office,
The secretary of the Ministry of Forestry said to Guo Yang: "With the suggestion of the Ministry of Forestry, Jiahe can arrange logistics and transportation in surrounding countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda."
Guo Yang Yang Mingran, it seems that the higher-ups also want to transport the resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the country.
"In terms of cooperation methods, Lin will let you make your own decision, because whether it is direct investment or cooperation, you will bear great risks."
Guo Yang has already figured this out. , said: "Well, I have already thought about it, combining the two methods."
"Okay, that's no problem."
Immediately, Guo Yang met with the Coconut Research Institute again, but after a few words, the negotiations began.
Guo Yang attended as a representative of Jiahe.
As the domestic situation stabilized, the Kabila government also began to pay attention to agriculture, but it still did not change the direction of focusing on mining and neglecting agriculture.
The government invests less in agriculture.
Of the more than 80 million hectares of arable land, only 6 million hectares have been developed.
Grain output has long been between 20 and 25 million tons. This is a country with a population of more than 50 million, and the population growth rate is even more terrifying.
Congo (DRC) has long been unable to support such a large population.
Therefore, the Democratic Republic of the Congo may still bargain when faced with China's exchange of infrastructure for mineral resources.
But for agricultural investment, especially food cultivation, the Kabila government has shown great enthusiasm.
They agreed to the conditions put forward by China Reclamation, Central Energy and Jiahe Group regardless of whether they could be realized or not.
Zhongken is better, it has experience, and the state aid projects it undertakes are not for profit.
Central Energy is a little bit at a loss for direction.
The old god Guo Yangze was sitting below, negotiating with the government in order to obtain legal land procedures.
But if you want to obtain land, communication with the tribal chief is more important, and gray transactions are also indispensable.
(End of this chapter)