Chapter 436: Three Years in the Middle East; A Ride with Sinochem

Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The air outside is hot and dry. Even though it is long past noon, the temperature is still close to 40℃. Anyone who can insist on going out at this time is a warrior.

If it were a few years ago, Yu Xiaochuan would definitely stay indoors all day, enjoying air conditioning, delicious food, fine wine, and even the services of exotic beauties.

But not anymore.

The honeymoon period between Golden Harvest and Saudi Arabia has passed, although they have not yet become strangers or enemies.

But there was a grudge between the two sides.

Looking back three or four years ago, when he first came to the Middle East, he was often treated as an honored guest by major royal families. Well, it was unlikely that he was a royal family in power, but he could indeed chat and laugh with many rich and powerful people.

Every year, we make a lot of money from alfalfa, agricultural machinery, kenaf tea, kenaf honey and other products.

So much so that the most work he did every day was to keep company with various powerful people.

However, since Jiahe started to develop bioenergy forests in the country, it has attracted international attention.

Although not many people pay attention to it, some people still don't take it seriously.

But the Middle Eastern oil tycoons who made their fortunes from oil obviously cannot ignore this news.

If we were to ask who on this planet is most opposed to the development of bioenergy, it would definitely be the oil giants in the Middle East.

From then on, Yu Xiaochuan could feel that the atmosphere was a little subtle.

First, Nasser Salman, general manager of Saudi Agricultural Services Company, no longer gave orders readily.

In the past, Nasser would take the initiative to propose purchases, but now he has to be on guard at all times to ensure that the orders are not snatched away by the Spaniards.

Later, Haifa Saud, who often took him out for tea and fun, gradually distanced himself from him.

The obese Haifa Saud has long been dependent on kenaf tea, and Yu Xiaochuan often brings him the latest and best kenaf tea.

It's not just him. In the Middle East, where the obesity rate is extremely high, the number of people with high blood pressure and high blood lipids remains high, which makes hemp tea, which can lower blood lipids and blood pressure, earn the most lucrative profits here.

However, during a tea session, Haifa Saud told him: “OPEC does not want to see Jiahe’s bioenergy forest succeed.”

From then on, Yu Xiaochuan never had tea with Haifa again.

In addition, his first batch of clients who had personal relationships with him, such as Walaid in the United Arab Emirates and Kafri in Qatar, also became alienated.

Fortunately, only the personal relationship was severed and work was not affected.

He knew that the oil tycoons in the Middle East could not give up Jiahe's products.

The world's highest quality alfalfa bales and feed enable oil giants to produce high-quality meat, poultry, eggs and milk.

In the Middle East, everyone is a carnivore, especially lamb and camel meat.

Raising these animals requires importing a large amount of forage and feed. After American alfalfa was damaged by dodder, the only countries in the world that can provide a stable supply of alfalfa are Spain and China.

Apparently, alfalfa from the Hexi Corridor is the best in the world.

Jiahe’s high-quality products such as sesame tea, honey, fruits, vegetables, etc. are also the dream of oil tycoons.

But Yu Xiaochuan had already woken up.

Even if the products are of high quality, needed by the masses, and both parties are unwilling to decouple, when fundamental interests are involved, the oil tycoons will not hesitate to give up purchasing from Jiahe.

What can he do?

Yu Xiaochuan had stood on high-rise buildings in cities such as Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, and Unaizah many times to look out and think.

In the entire Middle East, except for seven countries in the Fertile Crescent, such as Iraq and Syria, most cities in the rest of the region are located in desert oases.

It is as desolate as the desert Gobi in northwest China, or even worse.

This means that every time a global food crisis occurs, the Middle Eastern countries are the hardest hit.

Jiahe not only has a large amount of grain to export, but can also solve problems in agricultural production. This is Jiahe’s advantage.

After thinking for a while, Yu Xiaochuan understood what he should do at this stage.

OPEC hopes that Saudi Arabia will reduce its cooperation with Jiahe, but many people also believe that it should continue to maintain agricultural cooperation with Jiahe.

This is because Jiahe gave them hope.

He wants to strengthen this hope again!
Let those who support and cooperate with Golden Harvest have more confidence!
So, starting two and a half years ago, Yu Xiaochuan changed the way he worked. He no longer played and amused himself with princes and nobles. Instead, in addition to completing sales orders, he devoted more energy to agricultural production in the Middle East.

He doesn't know anything about agricultural planting, but in recent years, more and more Jiahe employees have come to work in the Middle East.

There are many agricultural experts here.

There are people who are researching sea rice cultivation in the Persian Gulf.

There are projects to control salinization and desertification.

Some people build solar greenhouses to grow fruits and vegetables.

Some people use water-saving drip irrigation.

There are people who build a desert botanical garden in the desert...

These people have accumulated rich experience in the country, but now that they have entered a more severe environment, they also need someone to encourage and support them behind the scenes.

Yu Xiaochuan then took on this role.

After years of persistence, each project has achieved remarkable results in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Unayzah, 270 km north of Riyadh, Jiahe has built a large-scale desert botanical garden, where super-drought-resistant plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron and Caragana korshinskii from the agriculture and animal husbandry in the desert have taken root in this desert.

In the desert hinterland west of the Persian Gulf coastal city of Jubail, Saudi Arabia once diverted seawater for irrigation in the hope of building fertile farmland.

But in the end, a large area of ​​saline-alkali desert was formed, causing a terrible saline-alkali disaster.

With the help of scarce water input from the Saudi desalination plant built in Jubail, the team sent by Muhe blocked the spreading salt desert two years ago.

We started conquering the heart of the Salt Desert last year.

With Alfalfa No. 1, which can "eat salt", and a small amount of desalinated seawater, not only is the salt desert no longer pervasive in this area, but it also looks green when viewed from the air.

In major oasis cities, the fruits and vegetables produced by Tianhe’s investment bases, including tomatoes, green and red peppers, carrots, citrus fruits, etc., have been widely praised.

Tianhe’s sea rice team is stationed in Dammam, also on the coast of the Persian Gulf.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it is to grow sea rice in the desert.

The climate is extreme, the humidity is low, there is a lack of fresh water, the climate is dry, there are frequent sandstorms, and the soil does not retain water... there are all kinds of problems.

But Saudi Arabia also attached great importance to this cooperation, providing land, capital and labor, while Tianhe brought technology and seeds.

After years of hard work, dozens of seeds were trial-planted and carefully cultivated. Although the yield was good, even with the strength of the oil tycoons, the existing seeds did not have the potential for large-scale promotion.

But what was unexpected was that under extremely harsh natural conditions, a portion of the abandoned Tiangeng Salt No. 1 material took root and sprouted outside the experimental field and produced rice ears.

This is a treasure trove for researchers.

How many precious species have achieved nirvana in harsh environments?

This is one of them.

"Tiangeng Salt No. 1 is truly a magical variety." Yu Xiaochuan can hear such exclamations every time he goes to the rice fields in Dama.

Last year, the planting area of ​​Tiangeng Salt No. 1 Saudi version in Dammam reached 100 acres.

It can grow in harsh environments, so it is naturally not afraid of pests and diseases, and the demand for pesticides is very small.

The rice produced has extremely high content of trace elements, with selenium content more than 10 times that of ordinary rice, and the rice grains are also a distinct red color.

As soon as the rice was produced, it was highly valued by the Saudi side.

Haifa Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family and one of the senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, once again invited Yu Xiaochuan to have tea.

This year, the sea rice planting area in Daman has reached 10,000 acres!

It is expected to continue to increase next year because the strong survival ability of the overseas version of Tiangeng Salt No. 1 has brought its production cost to a level acceptable to oil tycoons.

Now, it is time to harvest these ten thousand acres of rice.

This time, in addition to Haifa Saudi Arabia, the Saudi chief will also come to the sea rice planting base in Dammam.

Under the scorching sun, Yu Xiaochuan, the production manager of the Damanhai Sea Rice Base, Yang Jing, and the supervisor Chen Hang went to the base together.

Dammam is an important center of Saudi Arabia's oil industry and one of the largest ports in the Persian Gulf.

But the city also has a relatively developed agriculture, especially the dairy industry, where farms raise a large number of beef and dairy cows.

All alfalfa imported by Saudi Arabia is unloaded here, and the consumption of alfalfa in Dammam is second only to the capital Riyadh.

Yu Xiaochuan is quite familiar with this place. He had been to Daman when he was working in the Alfalfa Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sales Department.

After a while, they arrived at the coast. The sea rice base was on a large tidal flat by the sea.

In the golden rice fields formed by reclamation, heavy rice ears are connected one after another.

After getting off the car, the intense heat hit me and sweat soaked my thin silk clothes in an instant.

Yu Xiaochuan complained: "This damn place is too miserable."

"If you can't resist, you can only accept it obediently." Yang Jing took out three straw hats and gave one to each person.

Chen Hang took the straw hat and said, "But we can grow rice on such a large area in this desert. This is the first time in the world."

Yu Xiaochuan said: "So this time the Saudi chief also came out. Ten thousand mu of rice can feed 200 to 120 people. The whole city of Dammam has a population of only million. Planting million mu of rice can feed the entire city."

Chen Hang said: "Haha, it's not that simple."

Yang Jing also smiled and said, "But Boss Yu, now that the Great Chief has shown up, the pressure you face will be much less, right?"

"Saudi Arabia is in a dilemma now." Yang Jing snorted, "My efforts over the past two years have paid off. Now I won't go even if those young masters invite me to play with the Saker Falcon."

"You didn't go to any exotic places?"

"I have to go. I work in sales and I can't live without this."

"That's your excuse."

"Chen Hang, do you want to go too? Come on, after today's work, your brother Chuan will take you to Dubai."

"What are you talking about?" Yang Jing said, "Hurry up and get to work. Get the harvester moving. The chief will be here soon."

Chen Hang walked towards the management room, and did not forget to turn around and say, "Boss Yu, you have to bring Brother Yang along, otherwise he will be unhappy."

Yu Xiaochuan also walked forward and asked, "Lao Yang, what do you mean, let's go together tonight?"

Yang Jing cursed, "Hey, Mr. Yu, please don't lead my people astray."

Yu Xiaochuan said: "In this remote and poor place in a foreign country, if people don't find some fun, they will be bored a long time ago."

Yang Jing asked: "Then you don't have to go to Dubai, right?"

Yu Xiaochuan said: "Have you ever heard this sentence?"

"What?"

"Only ugly girls go to the workshop." Yu Xiaochuan said: "Since you are following me, I must take you to experience the best, so naturally we have to go to Dubai."

"Hey, get down to business, get down to business."

Yang Jing waved his hand and hurriedly quickened his pace. Under the eaves of the management room, dozens of people gathered, sitting or standing, waiting to be assigned tasks.

Yu Xiaochuan looked at Yang Jing's back and smiled, "You little bastard, I can't handle you."

He did this to reward several people for their efforts. The shock that these ten thousand acres of sea rice brought to the Middle East was far more than they knew.

As the sun was setting, Saudi Arabia's chief Abdullah bin Abdullah arrived at the scene with many officials.

The harvesters roared in the rice fields, and large fields of rice were harvested. The spectacular scene made Abdullah and other visiting officials applaud continuously.

The weather was hot, so after looking around for a while, taking some photos, and expressing our feelings, the group arrived in Daman.

Yu Xiaochuan took out the exquisite gift box that had been prepared long ago, which contained sea rice.

Abdullah personally named the rice brand under the watchful eyes of numerous media outlets.

He also publicly announced that he would strengthen cooperation with Jiahe's rice research and development center team to establish a long-term and stable strategic cooperation relationship in scientific research and industrial promotion, and promote sea rice cultivation in Saudi Arabia and other wider areas such as the Middle East and North Africa.

Yu Xiaochuan was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling at the scene.

In the following days, Yu Xiaochuan also successfully obtained Saudi Arabia's fourth quarter orders for alfalfa and other products.

Subsequently, orders from countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar also came in one after another.

This year's sales target was successfully completed, and the annual sales in the Gulf countries reached 40 billion yuan!

The rich are still generous!
He speculated that the change occurred because Jiahe Biodiesel was still too small to pose a real threat.

OPEC's attitude towards Saudi Arabia is not tough enough.

The improvements that Jiahe has brought to Saudi Arabia's agriculture and ecological environment have already been felt by the wealthy.

Yu Xiaochuan seemed to have found a way to maintain the current situation.

Allow Saudi Arabia's agriculture to continue to develop, the ecological environment to continue to improve, and cause differences within OPEC.

Things turned out just as Yu Xiaochuan had expected.

At many ministerial meetings of OPEC, member countries have emphasized the threat of bioenergy, especially corn ethanol and bioenergy forests, which China is vigorously developing.

As the world's largest oil importer, China's crude oil imports exceeded 2 million tons last year, maintaining an annual growth rate of 15%.

It is a major customer of many OPEC member countries.

They can't do anything to China.

But it’s okay to restrict one company, right?!

Especially Jiahe, the biggest promoter of China Bioenergy Forest, which also has trade in the Middle East and North Africa. It's okay to prevent him from making money in the Middle East!

At the beginning, there were many responses, after all, this really concerns the vital interests of oil exporting countries.

However, in practice, many countries found it difficult to give up Golden Harvest's products.

The first is food. Jiahe has become an important participant in the global food trade.

The Gulf countries, in particular, are accustomed to Golden Harvest’s high-quality products.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Even cattle, sheep and camels lost their appetite and their milk production and quality dropped significantly without Alfalfa.

In addition, Jiahe’s ecological governance assistance to Saudi Arabia has also been very successful...

Can't do it!
Can only delay.

Despite the delay, Jiahe’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s ecological governance and agricultural development has become increasingly greater and can no longer be ignored.

Even the great chief came out to praise Jiahe.

At another OPEC ministerial meeting, member countries have discussed many issues.

Before the end, Acting Secretary-General Gendal once again mentioned China's bioenergy forests.

"Everyone, you must pay attention to the bioenergy forest. As far as I know, China's energy trees will have a bumper harvest this year!"

Qatar's representative Diro said: "Which member state dares to interfere in China's internal affairs?"

"At least we should not become an accomplice in its development." Gendal looked at Saudi Arabia's Salman Faraj.

Salman Faraj understood what he meant and said, “The current production capacity of biodiesel is still very small and the impact on crude oil is negligible.”

"In a previous Chinese government plan, it was mentioned that 2 million mu of energy forests would be developed!"

Gendal said: "Based on the current production capacity of Jiahe, this is 1 million tons of biodiesel!"

"What can be done?"

"At least we should restrict Jiahe's development. It makes a lot of money in the Middle East, then goes back to build energy forests and grab the energy market. It's digging its own grave!"

"Huh? This is a win-win situation." Salman Faraj said: "Look at what Jiahe has done in Saudi Arabia. He has satisfied all the citizens."

“Second, if the energy forest is feasible, it is ridiculous to just sanction one company.”

Al Yami of Dubai said: "According to Jiahe's sea rice production in Dammam, only more than two million mu of land is needed to feed the whole of Dubai."

Salman Faraj added: "We should be more proactive in finding new solutions."

"What's the way out?"

"For example, planting more trees, preferably energy-producing trees, would be a good thing for countries with many deserts."

"Ridiculous behavior," Gendahl quipped.

However, more and more people expressed their support, especially member states that were suffering from desert and food problems.

The participants began to disperse.

Some people have been discussing with Salman Faraj the experience of developing agriculture in the desert, and vaguely mentioned the planting of energy trees.

This made Gerndahl unbelievable. "What's the good of planting trees?"

The Gabonese representative patted him on the shoulder and said, "You should be thankful that your country does not have a desert."

Gendal is from Equatorial Guinea, which is adjacent to Gabon. Both countries have abundant rainfall and high forest coverage.

But among the OPEC member countries, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya and other countries all have large areas of desert.

Oil has brought them wealth, but most countries feel insecure.

...

The oil tycoons who were in a dilemma could not change Guo Yang's determination to develop the energy forest.

After seeing Liu Deshu off, Guo Yang returned to Lan City. The agreement negotiations between Quanwang and Sinochem were still continuing.

Now is the time when good things come hard.

Liu Deshu also came to Lan City. After all, this is not only the base camp of OmniKing Biology, but also the core fulcrum of Jiahe Biochemistry.

Coincidentally, Xanthoceras sorbifolia blooms in April and May, and the fruits begin to ripen in August and can be picked and dried.

The earliest mother trees were planted four years ago, and the first batch of orchards were established three years ago. Now is the harvest season.

Therefore, Guo Yang and Liu Deshu stayed behind with the negotiation team. They first went to the factory to see the processing of Xanthoceras sorbifolia fruit and tasted the dishes made with Xanthoceras sorbifolia oil.

The two of them praised the dishes repeatedly.

Liu Deshu believed that it was due to the chef's superb skills, while Guo Yang insisted that it was the cooking oil that contributed to the success. They argued for a long time but to no avail.

Later, when the negotiation team was exhausted from arguing, Guo Yang proposed taking everyone to the Loess Plateau for a drive to relax.

Hua Kang, the president of Sinochem Petroleum Sales Company, was annoyed by the negotiations during this period. When he heard that they were going to the Loess Plateau, he dropped his face.

"What's so good about loess?"

Wei Yian said: "I have heard that the Loess Plateau is a dry and cracked land, with yellow sand all over the sky and mud all over the ground. Every year, an astonishing amount of mud flows into the Yellow River, but I have never seen it in person."

“There are also unique cave dwellings.”

"Haha, it's true. I almost forgot about the cave."

Guo Yang said helplessly: "You have a stereotype. The policy of returning farmland to forest has been going on for so many years, it won't be that bad anymore."

Liu Deshu said: "The ride was a joke by Mr. Guo. This is to take everyone to inspect the Xanthoceras sorbifolia base, which will also facilitate future cooperation."

"Boss Liu is right. We should go check out the Xanthoceras sorbifolia. Boss Fang has been talking a lot about Xanthoceras sorbifolia these past few days. The yield is so high that it's a little hard to believe!"

Huakang's tone still revealed his dissatisfaction, and he lashed out at Fang Xiaozhang with sarcasm.

You can imagine how intense these negotiations were. One party wanted to lower the price, while the other party wanted to sell for more money. They were all fighting for profits.

No wonder they got angry.

Guo Yang looked at the other people from Zhonghua again, and they all disagreed with what he said about "taking a ride".

Even Liu Deshu thought he was going to inspect the Xanthoceras sorbifolia base.

But he really just wanted both teams to go for a ride together to relax, exchange feelings, and ease the tense atmosphere.

Why doesn't anyone believe it?

On the other hand, Fang Xiaozhang, Ning Xiaojing, Tang Weihua, and Yu Qin looked like they were ready to watch a good show.

In any case, the convoy of several vehicles set off.

Not far from the city, there is a Xanthoceras sorbifolia base, and the convoy did not stop.

But through the car window, you can see that the huge green fruits on the Xanthoceras sorbifolia tree have cracked open, revealing the black seeds inside.

Afraid that Liu Deshu, who was in the same car, might not understand the trick, Guo Yang acted as an explainer.

"The traditional Xanthoceras sorbifolia has the characteristic of one fruit per thousand flowers, and the fruit setting rate is not high, but Tianhe's variety Jinluo solves this problem perfectly."

Liu Deshu said: "This is the most stable source of raw materials."

Guo Yang said: "So we need to find a market. Xanthoceras sorbifolia oil can be used as high-end cooking oil, but it is not a long-term solution, so we need to open up the transportation fuel market."

Liu Deshu said with a smile: "Jiahe and Sinochem will make progress together and kick the asses of the three oil companies together."

"Haha, I'll remember this sentence. We can't give up halfway, Mr. Liu." Guo Yang said with a smile. It is not as simple as talking to make the general public accept biodiesel.

In addition to public perceptions, it is also related to oil companies.

The petrochemical industry of the three major oil companies has been developing for many years. The production capacity of large-scale refineries is increasing year by year, and there are also large-scale chemical projects under construction.

It's impossible to stop these things just like that.

Changing the process is not easy.

The domestic economy has also entered the final stage of rapid development. For a period of time, biodiesel will definitely have an impact on the three major oil companies.

It is bound to cause resistance.

Jiahe cannot wait for the government to rescue the market, but must respond proactively and nip potential risks in the bud.

Guo Yang's choice was to win over Sinochem, but he was also afraid that Liu Deshu might suddenly turn against him.

Liu Deshu laughed and scolded: "You are very cunning, kid. Don't worry, we have come to this point. The upper echelons also see the potential of bioenergy and will definitely legislate within two to three years."

Guo Yang said: "It has been difficult to resist in the past two or three years!"

Liu Deshu smiled and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You are still very young. When I was your age, I was still working in a machinery import and export company.

If this can really significantly alleviate the domestic energy pressure, you will be considered a legendary figure."

The two talked all the way in the car, covering almost everything from domestic and international situations to industry development.

In several other cars, people from Jiahe and Sinochem were also talking.

It was a little awkward at first, but as Xanthoceras sorbifolia came into view, the topic of conversation unknowingly increased.

Fang Xiaozhang and Huakang, who often argued fiercely, sat together.

The imagined sky full of yellow sand and cracked soil did not appear, but instead there were green plants and crops.

“Is this the Loess Plateau?”

"The entire city of Lanzhou is on the Loess Plateau."

From Lanzhou to Dingxi and then to Jingning, the Loess Plateau is covered with green in late summer.

Occasionally getting off the car, feeling the mountain breeze and the breath of nature, both parties became calm.

Hua Kang even wondered if he was being too harsh.

The Xanthoceras sorbifolia industry can indeed boost the lives of local people and improve the ecological environment of the mountains and rivers.

How about you just relax?
The convoy stopped at a platform on a ridge. Guo Yang took out a drone, and in a moment, it soared into the sky.

Liu Deshu looked at the silage corn that rose and fell on the steps below the ridge and exclaimed, "How magnificent!"

The people of Zhonghua, who had never seen such a scene, took out their mobile phones to take pictures and made various exclamations.

As we were winding up the mountain road, I didn't think it was so surprising. It was just corn. I had seen it before.

But now, after climbing up to the height and looking far into the distance, the layers of terraces among the broken mountains and rivers make people feel awe.

Guo Yang said: "The silage corn variety is Tianhe's Tianyu No. 8."

"Look at what you can do." Liu Deshu stared at the drone camera in Guo Yang's hand, "But such scenery is really rare."

Guo Yang smiled and said, “In two years, there will be more such scenery, and people all over the country will see it every day. After seeing it too much, they will get tired of it.

Why do people nowadays often waste food? It is because they have worked hard and have confidence. Unlike some countries, which are too poor to afford food and still have civil wars every day. "

"It's a bit of a lie, but the whole society is advocating that we should not only eat enough, but also eat well."

“So Mr. Liu should cooperate more with companies like Jiahe so that people can eat better.”

Liu Deshu said: "Increasing grain production and harvesting is also inseparable from fertilizers."

"Yes, yes, I know Sinochem Fertilizer is awesome. Let me tell you, the organic fertilizer produced by Jiahe is also very popular now."

Guo Yang chose the angle and took a series of videos and photos before retracting the drone. He did not argue with Liu Deshu anymore and returned after playing for a while.

We took a different route on the return trip and this time passed the potato base in Dingxi again.

The same terraced fields, different crops, and occasionally you can come across a potato base that is still in bloom.

When potatoes bloom, they are like nature's palette, with patches of white flowers dotted among the mountains and hills.

At this time, everyone was able to put aside their grudges and took photos with each other with smiles on their faces.

Guo Yang also used a drone to take a group photo of everyone on a high mountain ridge, with Jiahe and Sinochem connected to each other.

After returning to the city, Guo Yang asked Qi Ziwen to send the photos to everyone. He also sent the pictures and videos to the personal accounts of Weilai and Huinong respectively.

Perhaps it was this "ride" that opened up the minds of both parties and made them no longer care about just one city or one pond.

This made the negotiations progress rapidly.

The agreement was signed when the harvest of Xanthoceras sorbifolia was completed and the harvest of Xanthoceras sorbifolia was about to begin.

Biodiesel will soon be available in every household.

(End of this chapter)