Chapter 284 Stalemate (Sorry, I was affected by my business trip.)
The meeting between the leaders was quick. Minister Lin ended his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and had to rush to other countries.

Congolese President Joseph Kabila also appeared for only a few moments, and the 35-year-old leader seemed taciturn and calm.

He grew up with his father in the midst of bullets and gunfire, and also studied abroad at the National Defense University of China. He performed extremely bravely on the battlefield.

However, on this continent, most leaders ultimately cannot escape their greed for power and wealth.

Kabila will be no exception.

Under his leadership, the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not get better, but instead became equally authoritarian and corrupt.

However, at this time Kabila still wanted to stabilize domestic development, especially when he knew that Jiahe was going to exchange grain for land, he smiled extremely happily.

Therefore, the leaders quickly set the tone: the agreement should be signed as soon as possible, the process should be improved quickly, and the food should be in place as soon as possible.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took the lead in organizing detailed discussions with three companies interested in agricultural investment, namely China National Agricultural Development Group, Central Energy and Jiahe Group.

And Golden Harvest Group ranked last.

Outside an office.

On one side of the long table, the leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was Bogdan, Director of the Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

Besides these, there is Robert Bira of the Land Affairs Department.

Guo Yang sat opposite Bogdan and after a quick observation, he noticed that some people showed impatient expressions.

Wouldn’t that delay people from getting off work?

Guo Yang was daydreaming.

Through Yu Honghai's words and the contact during this period, Guo Yang has a deep understanding of the work efficiency and corruption in this country.

In the past few years, it was a provisional government and its position might have been unstable, but at the end of last year, Kabila was successfully elected and the situation is relatively stable in the short term.

This should be one of the first batch of domestic companies to invest in Gang, and it is also one of the best in the world.

But in the past two days, he also found out about the projects of Zhongken and Central Energy.

It is really just an aid project. The only thing is that the central energy source has added commercial rice cultivation.

There is no oil or water!

Although Jiahe conducted the investigation for a long time and did not conceal the oil palm plantation project, the figure of 10 hectares has never been disclosed to the public.

Guo Yang turned his head to look at Yu Honghai, only to see him shaking his head slightly, meaning he had never seen him.

Most of these people from the Ministry of Land Affairs thought that Jiahe was also here mainly to provide agricultural assistance.

After a round of greetings, Guo Yang also confirmed his judgment and said:

“Bogdan and Robert, based on our investigation, Jiahe believes that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the greatest potential for agricultural development among all African countries. It is a paradise for agricultural development.”

Several officials smiled, very satisfied with Guo Yang's flattery.

Bogdan said, "So, how much has Jiahe decided to invest here? Will it still grow rice?"

“Rice must be planted.”

There was a chuckle in the conference room.

Except for the Chinese, it is difficult to grow rice successfully here. Therefore, rice has always been a food that only the rich here can enjoy.

"But it's not just rice." Guo Yang raised three fingers and said in a deep voice: "After discussion, Jiahe decided to invest in three projects here in total."

“The first is to develop food cultivation in Kinshasa and the N’djili region, covering an area of ​​1 hectares.”

“Second, we will build 2.5 hectares of oil palm and fruit tree plantations in Bas-Congo province.”

The attention of several people from the Ministry of Land Affairs was instantly drawn to them.

This area...

Guo Yang continued: "Third, as the company's mid-term development goal, Jiahe intends to develop a 10-hectare oil palm plantation project in Equatoria Province."

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became lively.

Bogdan smiled and said: "This is a tempting figure. On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I welcome your investment."

The Minister of Land Affairs, Robert Bira, had a different opinion.

"The Democratic Republic of the Congo has abundant land resources. My friend, I think this number could be a little more imaginative."

Guo Yang thought for a moment and said, "If we can make good progress in the early stages, Jiahe wouldn't mind expanding this number to 100 million hectares."

100 million hectares?
Bogdan and Robert Bila looked at each other and tacitly agreed that the other was somewhat boasting.

"I believe that the people will be excited when they learn about this number on national television," Robert praised, then immediately changed the subject.

“But why in Equatoria?”

"The climate there is suitable for growing oil palm," Guo Yang said.

"But it's not safe there." There was a deep meaning in Robert's eyes.

Safety?

Where is completely safe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Even in Kinshasa, due to the high food prices, there are many hungry poor people on the streets.

Guo Yang frowned and looked between the people from the Agriculture Department and the Land Affairs Department.

Bogdan from the Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries showed a strange look, but did not stop them too much. The people from the Department of Land Affairs were obviously led by Robert.

Guo Yang asked solemnly, "So where does Director Robert think is suitable?"

Robert said: "Kisangani, the capital of Oriental Province, is the largest city in the East."

Guo Yang recalled that Matadi, Kinshasa, Mbandaka and Kisangani, from the lower reaches to the middle and upper reaches, these four cities are important river port cities in the Congo River Basin.

The area previously selected by Yu Honghai is located near Mbandaka in Equatoria Province.

However, downstream of Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur Province, is the world-famous waterfall group, and there is also a waterfall group in Lower Congo Province.

The main mode of transportation between the cities is by plane, but the river between Mbandaka and Kisangani is navigable.

Guo Yang thought for a moment and said, "Oriental Province is close to North and South Kivu Provinces. As far as I know, that is also a mining area, and rebellions often occur in the mountainous areas."

Robert said in an exaggerated tone: "We have troops over there to protect the safety of our cooperative enterprises."

In the conference room, the expressions of some black people changed, and Guo Yang noticed it.

Is this an internal disagreement?

Or a fight between factions?
Guo Yang pondered for a while, then looked at Yu Honghai and several new team members.

Yu Honghai moved his lips slightly, and Guo Yang understood.

"Don't promise."

Guo Yang smiled and said, "Director Robert, at this stage, Jiahe's main task is to take over the land in Kinshasa and Lower Congo Province first."

Robert pressed on, asking, “What about the 10 hectares of oil palm plantations?”

At least two or three people on the opposite side were staring at him.

Guo Yang did not show any fear, and said calmly: "We still prefer Mbandaka. When we have some results, we will expand to Kisangani. Don't forget, we have a long-term goal of 100 million hectares."

Robert nodded indifferently.

The negotiation of the agreement continued, and Guo Yang did not interrupt much, but let the external legal team and Jiahe people take action.

But things were getting worse and worse, and Robert always found various excuses.

"It is understood that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the price of US$4 per acre of land is already very high. Jiahe's offer is absolutely sincere."

"That's 25 years." "The internal situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not stable."

"No, no, no, that was in the past. Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo has ushered in peace. And just as your president said, the climate and water resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are a paradise for developing agriculture."

"It should be at least $10 an acre," Robert vowed.

“What about agricultural taxes?”

“Collect as usual.”

"What about subsidies? What about roads? What about preferential policies?" The international lawyer hired by Jiahe asked tentatively. Even Guo Yang was shocked. Isn't this question useless?

Robert smiled and said, "If you go to Kisangani, you can get more land discounts."

This made Jiahe even more determined that he could not go to Kisangani.

The dispute between the two sides is getting bigger and bigger, and it is impossible to expect the Democratic Republic of the Congo to increase its investment in agriculture.

The investment method could be cooperation, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo cannot contribute a penny.

During the argument, Guo Yang learned that Congo's investment in agriculture only accounted for 1.3% of the country's GDP.

Shockingly low.

This is a country that values ​​mining over agriculture.

It would be better for Golden Harvest to invest directly.

The first meeting ended unpleasantly.

On the way back, Yu Honghai said, "In fact, we can completely bypass the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs and sign a contract directly with the local chief. The chief is responsible for allocating the land that farmers cultivate, and the farmers have permanent use rights for the land, which can be passed down from generation to generation."

"But legally, all the land in the Democratic Republic of the Congo belongs to the state, and the chiefs are just caretakers." Guo Yang pondered for a while and asked, "Robert just said that the Equator Province is unsafe, and there are troops there. What's the matter?"

Yu Honghai smiled and said, "Almost every senior official and congressman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a warlord behind him. Robert should also belong to a certain ethnic group."

"What about the Equator Province?"

"The chief of Equator Province is a warlord himself, but I think he has some knowledge." Yu Honghai said, "We can use his connections to speed up the process."

The car drove through a residential area, with dilapidated and aging houses on both sides, garbage scattered on both sides of the road, and mosquitoes flying around.

The shirtless citizens had their stomachs shrunk due to hunger, leaving only bones.

Guo Yang was silent for a moment, "Why should we be anxious? We are not the ones who are starving."

Yu Honghai was stunned.

Guo Yang continued, "Contact us to find out where the ship is. It shouldn't be that soon, right? It will take at least ten to twenty days."

The food aid from the state is given to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. There are so many starving countries in Africa, how much can the Democratic Republic of the Congo get?

Yu Honghai said: "Maybe we can stop at the port for a while longer, but it will cost more."

"I'm not afraid of more money."

When we returned to the dry farming center, Team Leader Gan and others were still working in the fields with the black workers. On Jiahe's land, dozens of black workers had also begun burning and reclaiming the land.

Jiahe’s team in Africa already has more than 20 people, including seven or eight security personnel who also perform other basic work.

There were also three or four other scientific researchers, several planting technicians, and several people in charge of the negotiations.

There are definitely not enough people.

So it is a wise choice to wait, and people from Jiahe will come one after another after the new year.

After returning to the base, Guo Yang went straight to the germplasm resource bank, which was actually a small warehouse.

During this period, some germplasm resources collected from the Dryland Farming Center, Dadi Company and Yu Honghai were piled up here.

Guo Yang selected and collected some seeds one by one and put them in the seed store. When he went out, he happened to meet Yu Honghai.

As Guo Yang expected, it took 40 to 50 days for the aid food to be transported from the coast of China to the port city of Matadi in the lower reaches of the Congo River.

At present, it will take at least twenty days. If we delay it, a month will not be a problem at all.

It depends on who can endure longer.

But Guo Yang might not be able to stay that long. "Old Yu, is there any way to make an appointment with the chief of Equator Province?"

“Should we communicate in advance?”

"I still have a lot of things to do in China. If I wait a few more days, I may have to go back home."

"I'll try to make an appointment."

"It doesn't matter if you can't make an appointment. From now on, you have to take control of it all by yourself." Guo Yang patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "How is it? Is it possible?"

Yu Honghai was surprised for a moment.

Guo Yang said again: "A man can't say he is incompetent, or is it because you are really incompetent that you ran away to a foreign country?"

"Fuck you..." Yu Honghai subconsciously wanted to curse, but suddenly remembered that this was his boss, and quickly took the words back.

"Of course we can do it. We have to chew this tough bone of Congo!"

"This is the old Yu I know!"

In the following days, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo organized several meetings, and Jiahe was led by Yu Honghai to attend the meetings.

The meeting naturally came to a deadlock.

During this period, Guo Yang was not idle either.

In addition to breeding, he also led Jiahe's technical team to reach a series of collaborations with the Coconut Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences.

Guo Yang naturally offered better conditions to the expert team that came from afar, and the communication was naturally smooth.

The two sides will jointly carry out technological research and development and establish a dedicated Congolese experimental station platform of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences.

By investigating the soil type, nutrient content, fertilization management, pest and disease damage, fruit ear yield and fruit picking conditions in the oil palm plantation, various technical needs are identified.

Ultimately supporting the development of oil palm plantations.

At the same time, the international food situation is deteriorating.

Since 2007, food stocks have been decreasing, but demand has not decreased at all. On the contrary, fertilizer and energy prices have also risen sharply.

Food prices naturally rose, with corn prices increasing particularly rapidly.

This has undoubtedly further aggravated the food security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In recent days, there have been numerous armed attacks, riots and uprisings in the eastern, western, central and southern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, forcing a large number of refugees to flee.

Even many mining companies have been attacked.

Relatively speaking, the capital Kinshasa may be the safest place in the country, the political and economic center, and has a large number of troops and police from the Kabila government.

There are also numerous international agricultural aid agencies.

Whether it is the developed area of ​​farmland or the unit and total grain output, it is far ahead of other cities.

Although food prices are high and hunger among the poor is the norm, the two violent forces, the army and the police, are still able to maintain stability.

The situation in the capital is under control.

The dry farming center was also calm. Located on the outskirts of the city, it had led to the development of a lot of farmland around it. People just closed their doors and reduced unnecessary outings.

However, various marches and protests often break out in Kinshasa.

Kabila's political rival, Mumba, and dozens of opposition parties have frequently criticized the government's policies in public.

(End of this chapter)