Chapter 359 Give Face

If the largest plain in Sichuan Province is known to almost everyone, then much less people know about the second largest plain.

Panxi area, Anning River Valley Plain.

It is known as the granary of southwestern Sichuan, and is said to be able to survive even if a chopstick is stuck in it.

It is also one of the key areas for the development of the western region. Surrounding the river valley are mountains and vast mountain areas.

The good light, water and heat resources also make this the only place in Sichuan Province suitable for the development of South Asian tropical economic forests.

The lower reaches of the Jinsha River, Yalong River and Anning River valley are rich in bananas, lychees, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, sisal, hevea and more.

Of course, Panzhihua area is also one of the most suitable areas in the country for the development of leprosy trees, with hundreds of thousands of acres of wild leprosy tree resources.

This also made this place a paradise for energy giants to grab land in the past few years.

Under the policy's call, domestic and foreign energy giants announced that they would invest more than 200 billion yuan in Panzhihua to develop biodiesel.

First, the British Sunshine Energy Group signed a cooperation agreement with Liangshan, planning to invest 40 billion yuan to plant 100 million mu of jatropha trees in Panxi to extract biodiesel.

Shortly thereafter, American company Baker Hughes said it would invest $10 billion to $16 billion over the next 20 years.

The world's largest biodiesel raw material planting base - 300 million mu of jatropha trees and a 40-ton biodiesel refinery will be built in Panzhihua.

Subsequently, domestic energy giants joined in.

China Petroleum announced that it will cooperate with Sichuan Province to build a 500 million mu jatropha energy forest base, and at the same time build a production base with an annual output of 10 tons of biodiesel.

Petrochemical and CNOOC also followed suit, increasing their investments in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan and other regions.

Suddenly, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan regions witnessed a surge in biodiesel investment.

As a result, the latecomer Jiahe could not find land and had to go through Guangxi and Fujian provinces.

Times have changed. Now when I return to Panxi, it is difficult to find those giants that once made my blood boil.

First, the American Baker Hughes company disappeared, followed by the British Sunshine Group's quiet withdrawal, and the plans of several major domestic giants were shelved.

Today, only a few hundred thousand acres of planted leprosy trees are still growing tenaciously.

The abandoned leprosy trees were left unattended for a time, overgrown with weeds, and a large number of them died as a result.

The reality is that it is a mess.

The bloody incident caused by Wang Dashan and other villagers only tore off the last fig leaf.

It couldn't even be torn open because it was too remote and the news was suppressed immediately.

Ordinary people don’t pay any attention to the news here, and may not even know what the leprosy tree is.

For those in the industry, this is like a major earthquake.

It was a chain reaction after the sharp drop in crude oil prices. In the end, those who were still holding on gave up this industry one after another.

The leprosy trees in the south and the Xanthoceras sorbifolia in the north, private enterprises have withdrawn from the market without hesitation, just let them rot!

The most important thing is to keep the money in your pocket.

The three oil companies are also busy finishing up, but at least the state-owned enterprises have shown their responsibility.

For the base that has already been established, the promised investment of 400 yuan per mu has been fully paid, but the remaining 300 yuan investment is a subsidy promised by the local government.

The three barrels of oil are not connected.

Liangshan, Huili.

Li Deming, who is in his 40s, is the head of the local Mingsen Afforestation, Seedling Cultivation and Forest Protection Company.

Over the years, he has planted more than 3 acres of leprosy trees.

Until this year, only 3 acres of the more than 1000 acres of leprosy trees bore fruit. Even if they did, the yield was very low, with only a few fruits on one tree.

Originally people had hoped that these "burning" leprosy fruits would bring in a lot of money, but who would have thought it would turn out like this.

Fortunately, he is not an ordinary person.

Li Deming came to the Forestry Bureau and knocked on the door and walked into the office of Director Guan Zili.

There were other people in the office. Guan Zili looked like he had a headache when he saw Li Deming coming in.

"Sit down, Lao Li."

"Xiao Chen, make Mr. Li a cup of tea, and then go about your business."

The tea was ready. When the person who was doing the work turned around to leave, he could still see Li Deming standing there stubbornly.

"Director Guan, when will Huaxia Petroleum's refinery be built? We can't hold on any longer. We have no money left."

"Now, every time I open my eyes, I think about where to make money. The annual labor cost is at least 50 yuan, not including other maintenance and operation costs."

"Now that the fruit is hanging, and there are no refineries to take it, there is no way to get some money back."

"Tell me the truth today, will this refinery be built or not?"

"It must be built!" Guan Zili pulled Li Deming and said, "Sit down and talk. Old Li, have some tea first."

"You were the one who asked me to invest in the first place." Li Deming sat down. "If it weren't for our long-time comrades-in-arms, would I jump into this trap?"

"I am in this situation now, with so much debt, Guan Zili, you should take half the responsibility!"

Guan Zili also got angry.

"You are so good, Old Li. Now you blame me. Did the bureau give you a penny less than the subsidy you were entitled to? I begged for that."

"I also went to the oil mill, but the raw materials are too scarce. It takes three tons of leprosy fruit to refine one ton of diesel. A 3-ton plant would need 10 tons of leprosy fruit, but do you have that much raw material?"

"Even in the whole Huili and Panxi area, we can't harvest so many leprosy fruits."

"Okay, now tell the truth. What you just said about building a factory was just a lie, right?" Li Deming stood up angrily.

"I won't collect the fruits anymore, and I won't manage the leprosy base anymore. Foreigners can run away, but I can't? If you have the guts, put me in Panxi Prison."

The sound was heard from far away, and some passers-by looked over curiously.

Guan Zili glared back, stood up and closed the door, and changed his expression after coming back.

"Make a fuss, make as much noise as you can, the louder the better."

"The tea is good. You have a good life. You can earn money just by sitting all day. I still have to go for a stroll in the mountains." Li Deming drank tea leisurely.

"After this incident, the state has no energy to deal with the subsidy issue anymore, right?"

Guan Zili said, "Everyone is busy suppressing the murder case now, so no one is paying the subsidy. But you can't go too far. You should take care of him for another year."

"One year?" Li Deming was unhappy. "The labor cost would really be 50!"

"You can just find some people to do the face work. Besides, you have already received the 500 million subsidy, and you still need this little money."

The investment for 1200 mu of leprosy trees is million yuan over three years.

The government subsidized 500 million yuan, and the remaining 700 million yuan was also a loan that Li Deming obtained from the bank.

But of the actual money invested, after going through so many layers of hands, perhaps only one-third or one-quarter of it ends up on the land.

In addition to these, most of the leprosy tree seedlings in the surrounding area were also supplied by his company.

In short, Li Deming had no idea how much others had lost in this leprosy tree energy forest project, but he had definitely made a fortune.

If you want to make money, you really have to rely on poverty alleviation!

But Li Deming knew that if he wanted to properly resolve the matter, he would need money, otherwise he would really have to go to Panxi Prison.

"Alas, those two foreign companies ran away too quickly. We were still busy organizing the relocation of villagers, but they just disappeared without a word."

"It's hard for the villagers. Some of them have lost their houses. Only oil has some conscience."

"Huaxia Petroleum came here with the mission of poverty alleviation." Guan Zili said: "Poverty alleviation is good, and it is only poverty alleviation that has some effect."

Li Deming drank his tea happily. "What should I do next? I think I can make some more money from this leprosy tree base."

Guan Zili thought for a while and said, "There are two directions."

"First, I will try to secure more subsidy funds. Also, I will report to my superiors and promote the construction of the oil refinery."

"Second, can you contact other small factories or pharmaceutical factories to buy leprosy fruit, or if there is anyone willing to take over the base."

"If it doesn't work, take care of it for a year or two, then abandon it."

Li Deming laughed and said, "It's the same as not saying anything. Which idiot is willing to take over now?"

……

Guangxi Province, Baise, Tiandong.

This place is known as the hometown of mangoes. It is surrounded by mountains in the north and south, and a flat and open basin in the middle.

To the north of the basin, there is a hilly area, and further north is the earthy mountainous area with higher altitude.

Jiahe’s leprosy tree planting base is located in these mountains and hills.

There are a total of 10 acres, half of which were planted in the spring, and the remaining half will soon be planted.

On a dirt hill, Ding Yi, general manager of the base, was checking the planting situation of leprosy trees.

From a distance he saw a familiar car driving towards the top of the mountain.

"The people from the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau are here again?"

The car was getting closer and closer, and Ding Yi quickly confirmed that it was undoubtedly from the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau. It had come seven times this week, even on weekends.

Ding Yi was waiting on the roadside. After the car stopped, a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion got out.

"Hey, Director Huang, it's your turn today?"

"Mr. Ding, I feel much more relieved seeing you here." Director Huang greeted with a smile.

Ding Yi curled his lips and said teasingly, "What? You are also worried that I will run away. I am flattered."

What are the most concerned issues in villages, towns and counties during this period?
That must be whether the wages of migrant workers are paid on time and whether various project payments are in arrears. As for the rent, Jiahe pays it as soon as possible.

Director Huang laughed and looked at the newly planted saplings.

"Your saplings are pretty good, about 60 to 70 centimeters tall. You are indeed a professional sapling grower, and you can tell they will succeed at a glance."

Ding Yi said: "Jiahe wants to continue to transfer the second batch of land, but the county and city have not approved it."

"Forehead……"

"We've clearly signed the agreement, but now the chairman has to come over again. It's hard for me, an employee, to explain this to my superiors."

"Mr. Ding, you know that the price of crude oil is falling endlessly, and the production of jatropha in the southwest is not good. The jatropha project is generally not optimistic. Now all places are promoting eucalyptus."

"It doesn't mean we can't do it just because others can't. Jiahe's leprosy trees are different and have great potential. They can also prevent soil erosion. Planting fast-yielding eucalyptus on a large scale will cause endless troubles!"

"That's why the city agreed to continue the talks!"

The planned forestry land area in Tiandong is just over 200 million mu, of which only 100 million mu includes newly planted fast-growing eucalyptus forest land.

There is still room for the development of jatropha.

On September 25th, Guo Yang arrived in Baise.

That night in the hotel, Ding Yi introduced the situation here.

Or was it the chain reaction caused by the collapse of bioenergy in Panzhihua area that scared the local government?

The lie of the leprosy tree has been exposed.

The surge in crude oil prices is only the trigger, but the lie was actually woven by policy documents issued by some relevant departments.

In this document, the yield of leprosy trees per mu was exaggerated to 1000 kg/mu or even 2000 kg/mu.

But the reality.

The first three years of production yielded only a few dozen kilograms per acre, and the better ones only over 100 kilograms.

Although there are reasons such as management, tree species, short tree age, and investment environment, the actual output alone is enough to dampen the enthusiasm of all investors.

In Baise, and even in the entire Guangxi Province, it is not the fruit but the eucalyptus that affects the cultivation of leprosy trees.

September 26th.

Guo Yang led the team to the municipal government and signed a supplementary agreement with the city's second-in-command in charge of economy and agriculture.

The city’s main concern is that businesses will face operational difficulties and that projects may be left unfinished.

So I don’t want to give the land.

Guo Yang never thought of running away. After more than a year of development, the nursery base in Tiandong is about to enter the peak period of planting. The yield of the jatropha variety seed store in Jiahe is estimated to be 1500 kg/mu, and the oil yield is more guaranteed.

But the saplings are still waiting for the land to be planted.

In Baise, trees can be planted all year round unless there is a snowstorm like the one at the beginning of this year.

So, we need to race against time.

As long as the agreement was not too harsh, Guo Yang basically agreed.

They also agreed to set up a special account, and every time a batch of land was acquired, the corresponding planting fees and two years of maintenance fees would be deposited into the account.

The future cooperation mode will continue to adopt land transfer, company + base + farmers mode, which is not applicable in these places.

At least there is a guaranteed bottom line for turnover fees.

Baise has a vast territory and a sparse population. In some districts and counties, the per capita mountainous area exceeds 100 mu.

If all the land is transferred to Jiahe, the farmers will receive at least several thousand yuan in transfer fees each year.

And earn income from working.

Don't take risks yet.

Large-scale circulation is also a good thing for Jiahe, and funds are no longer a problem for Jiahe.

In total, 800 to 900 yuan needs to be deposited into the special account for one acre of land, and 10 acres would be to million yuan.

Not much pressure.

Of course, these are the most basic investments, and the subsequent refining and processing are the big ones.

In fact, the policies and subsidies promised by the city have not changed, they have only made some communications on the operation of enterprises.

After receiving Guo Yang's personal promise, the city felt relieved.

Ding Yi, who was listening in, felt that the matter was magical.

He had explained the chairman's words over and over again to the county and city governments, but he still suspected all the time that you might run away.

When the chairman came forward, he still said the same things, but the city's attitude had clearly changed.

"Mr. Guo, the city will definitely give you strong support in terms of forest land. The city and county will be responsible for getting back the lost transfer time for you."

The city's second-in-command spoke in a clear voice, but then changed the subject, "When will the biodiesel refinery be built?"

"Construction will start in two years." Guo Yang thought for a while, "If the city has concerns, Jiahe can get the industrial land first."

"No, the city has no concerns right now." The second-in-command smiled.

"To put it bluntly, the survival rate of Jiahe's saplings is not very good even if they are planted without any care."

"Even if Jiahe runs away, the tree will remain, which will also reduce the city's greening tasks."

Guo Yang smiled and said, "We agreed to develop one million acres, and we will definitely develop one million acres."

"Okay." The second-in-command smiled and said, "Besides Tiandong, there are Tianyang, Tianlin, Lingyun, Napo, etc. Baise has a lot of mountainous areas that can be developed."

Although the trip was rushed, Guo Yang felt that the meeting was quite pleasant and he also made some bold statements.

"Leader, in a few years, Baise will have an energy industry worth tens of billions of dollars."

"As for the eucalyptus trees all over the mountains, perhaps they will have a higher economic value if they are all grown into leprosy trees."

“The benefits of jatropha are higher than those of eucalyptus.”

Guo Yang had been to Guangxi Province in his previous life.

To see the eucalyptus trees in China, go to Guangxi Province; to see the eucalyptus trees in Guangxi, go to Baise.

In later generations, Baise’s forest coverage rate reached 66.7%, and its forest area ranked first in Guangxi Province.

But most of them are fast-growing eucalyptus.

The eucalyptus planting area in Guangxi Province is as high as more than 40 million mu.

As long as you enter Baise, basically every mountain is covered with fast-growing eucalyptus.

Its rapid outbreak stage has been in recent years. Since the 11th Five-Year Plan, Sufeng Eucalyptus has been developed as a provincial key project, leading many districts and counties to get rid of poverty.

However, eucalyptus is also called the "tree that cuts off descendants" by some people. During its growth, it will extract fertility from the surrounding soil, causing the soil to lose fertility. It is also a big water consumer.

The leprosy tree, on the contrary, has a remarkable ability to fix soil and a well-developed root system that can prevent soil erosion, protect the soil and reduce land degradation.

But now the people of Baise have already tasted the benefits of eucalyptus.

According to the thinking of many districts and counties, all in is done. Those who don't allow the seeds to grow will probably have to pay with their lives. This is what it's like to eat meat.

To put it in a more vivid way, eucalyptus has given Baise hope of getting rid of poverty and becoming rich, and in the investment industry it is just one step away from going public.

However, Jiahe's leprosy tree project is still in the venture capital stage, which is very risky and may fail at any time.

The city's second-in-command also had countless thoughts flashing through his mind for a split second, but in the end he laughed loudly:

"Okay, Mr. Guo's words are enough. Baise will definitely support it strongly."

"Then I take it seriously, leader."

Guo Yang waved to Ding Yi, and after he came over, they discussed some problems they encountered at the grassroots level.

The main issue is the eucalyptus trees. Some local forces originally wanted to plant eucalyptus trees, and they had the 11th Five-Year Plan as a basis.

This idea became even stronger after the bioenergy crisis.

At the level of ordinary people, the problem can be solved if wages, rent or service fees can be paid on time.

But township, district and county departments need higher-level authorities to step in and do the work.

After listening to this, the second-in-command said, "Well, Mr. Guo, the city will arrange a dinner party tonight. I will call all the comrades from the districts and counties, and we can talk about it together."

"Follow the leader's arrangements."

At the evening dinner, everyone was toasting each other and the communication was very enjoyable.

To put it bluntly, local governments just want to attract investment.

The greatest sincerity shown by an enterprise is when it can put real money on display.

However, many people are still puzzled by Jiahe's insistence on developing leprosy energy forests.

"The three oil companies have all given up, so why is Jiahe still rushing forward?"

"Grow eucalyptus, Mr. Guo. Eucalyptus can really make money, and the country needs wood for development."

Guo Yang heard such exhortations several times in one night.

Baise has an excellent natural ecological environment and is an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Pearl River.

But Baise is now one of the national key poverty alleviation targets.

If there is no choice, planting eucalyptus trees is indeed the best way to get rid of poverty and become prosperous.

But now there is a better solution. Guo Yang believes that as time goes by, people here will embrace the leprosy tree energy forest.

After the administrative matters were resolved, the next day Guo Yang, under the leadership of Ding Yi, saw the leprosy tree base for the first time.

Surrounding the group are leprosy trees ranging from several dozen centimeters to over a meter in height.

The trees are arranged neatly, one row after another, with 200 trees planted per acre, and the density is not low.

After transplanting, the leprosy tree seedlings do not require special management, mainly shaping pruning and fertilizing.

Adequate soil fertility and good tree shape can greatly improve the growth of leprosy trees and also enable them to enter the fruit-bearing period earlier.

When it comes to fertilizing, Ding Yi couldn't help but say a few more words.

"We applied dozens of kilograms of basal fertilizer to each tree we planted in the spring. But in the second half of the year, the organic fertilizer produced by the ranch stopped being supplied, so we didn't apply basal fertilizer."

Guo Yang said calmly: "I asked you to stop."

"what?"

Ding Yi remembered that it was the boss who suggested applying organic fertilizer as base fertilizer, and he was silent immediately.

"We can overcome this temporarily and use some chemical fertilizers. The supply of organic fertilizers will resume next year."

Jiahe's base is all mountainous area with poor and degraded soil, lack of fertilizer and prone to drought.

But the rent is also cheap, only a few dozen yuan per acre.

It is just right to be used as a pioneer.

Compared with the southwest region, the trees here grow faster, making them perfect for taking the lead.

After staying in Tiandong for half a day, Guo Yang rushed to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province in the evening.

He has given face to Guangxi Province, and now he has to give face to Fujian Province as well. He came out this time just to give face.

Fujian Province is known as the "eight mountains, one water, and one piece of farmland". It is backed by mountains and faces the sea, and is one of the important forest areas in the country.

However, the main tree species are pine and fir.

During the bioenergy boom in the past few years, it was also quite cautious and was the only province to conduct trials on jatropha seed sources.

The planned area for planting leprosy trees is only a few hundred thousand mu, concentrated in Changtai and Hua'an in Zhangzhou.

Jiahe’s planting base is in Changtai, also covering 10 acres.

When Guo Yang arrived in Zhangzhou, the price of crude oil had just fallen below $60, which made the city even less optimistic about Jiahe's jatropha energy project.

Fortunately, Fujian Province conducted seed source experiments, and the leprosy tree species in Jiahe showed their special features during the seedling stage.

Fujian Province is a province with little coal, no oil and no natural gas, and the province has a certain focus on the energy industry.

So this trip was pretty smooth.

At the same time, we have also reached a verbal cooperation with the Forestry Department on tree breeding research.

In addition to the leprosy tree, the native tree species of Fujian Province, Pistacia chinensis and Moringa oleifera, are also energy tree species.

The cooperation method is also simple. Jiahe provides the money and the research institute provides the people, and the total funding is only a few hundred thousand.

After finishing the administrative affairs, he hurried to take a look at the planting base and then returned to the northwest without stopping.

We give face to the south, and we have to give even more face to the people at our doorstep in the northwest.

City and provincial leaders called one after another, "Mr. Guo, are you still going to plant Xanthoceras sorbifolia?"

"We have communicated with all the cities and counties below. Jiuquan, Zhangye, Wuwei, Baiyin, Qingyang, Pingliang, Tianshui, Longnan, Dingxi, Lanzhou and other ten prefecture-level cities and counties are interested. Jiahe can choose any one."

"Whether you have 100 million acres, 300 million acres, or 500 million acres, you can have as much as you want!"

"Mr. Guo, you haven't come back yet?"

Guo Yang: "Right away, I'll be right back."

Qin Lijun: "I asked, and they said you went to Fujian Province again. The leader asked me to ask you who is in the south?"

"Or is it that the provincial policies are not in place?"

“What’s better about the South?”

Guo Yang: “…”

One needs to come to your door to give face, while the other can't wait to put something in your pocket.

Guo Yang felt the warmth of home.

Yeah, what’s so good about the South?

It has more solar and thermal resources, is closer to the consumer market, has convenient sea transportation, and a more vibrant economy...it seems to have quite a few advantages.

But there is a lot of land in the northwest!
When people from my hometown hear the name Jiahe, they will not have any doubts at all. You can do whatever you want with the land.

Listen to this list of city names and take your pick!
On the plane back to the northwest, Guo Yang was thinking about the site selection and scale of the Xanthoceras sorbifolia.

Xanthoceras sorbifolia has an advantage over Jatropha curcas.

In addition to biodiesel, it can also produce high-end vegetable oils, tea and other highly recognized products.

At the same time, Xanthoceras sorbifolia is also a tree species used for sand control in the northwest, which has both economic and ecological benefits.

If you're going to do it, then do it on a big scale all at once.

(End of this chapter)