Chapter 715: Kyushu Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.

After taking a few steps, Xia Yongquan couldn't help but ask directly, 'Ah Yu, is growing the navel oranges you mentioned really that profitable?'

Looking at Xia Yongquan's eager eyes, Xia Yu smiled slightly and nodded, 'It is indeed very profitable. There are very few people growing it now. As long as Xia Village grows it, there is absolutely no worry about not being able to sell it at a high price. Even if more and more people grow it in the future, lowering the price, Xia Village's reputation will have already been established, and it will still be the one making the most money.'

Receiving a positive answer, Xia Yongquan's eyes were full of excitement, as if blinded by the money he could make in the future.

'Yu, then our family will plant it too. I'll go back and tell my father and grandfather, and they will definitely plant it,'

Xia Yongquan said excitedly.

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, 'No rush, I'll talk to your grandfather when I go back, and also talk to Mayor Wu.'

Xia Yongquan nodded heavily, and then wandered around absent-mindedly, which made Xia Yu feel funny.

After wandering around until around ten o'clock, Xia Yu returned to his accommodation and found Wu Siming and the others chatting and drinking tea in the courtyard.

'Mr Xia, you're back.'

Wu Siming laughed as he got up.

'Come have some tea. The old party secretary brought some mountain tea with a unique flavour. Try it.'

'Sure, thanks!'

Xia Yu pulled up a bamboo chair, took a sip of the tea and exclaimed, 'It's very refreshing. This mountain tea is good.'

'Yes, the mountains and rivers here are beautiful, and the tea produced here is also of high quality!'

Wu Siming is also a connoisseur of fine teas, and his opinion is quite representative.

'By the way, Mr Xia, what do you think after a little while of exploring? This place can't compare to a big city like Xiangjiang, but in terms of natural environment, it should be better here.'

'Yes, Xiangjiang is small and densely populated, and in order to develop, it has sacrificed its ecological environment. There are gains and losses!'

Xia Yu nodded with some emotion.

'In fact, in the industrial era, the development of any country's economy came at the cost of environmental destruction. Forests were destroyed, water sources were polluted, and living creatures were gradually driven to extinction. Perhaps people don't care about it now, but in the future, the cost of trying to reverse it will be huge.'

'Clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets!'

Wu Siming was taken aback. He didn't expect Xia Yu to express such feelings, and he chewed on Xia Yu's last few words, his eyes thoughtful.

'Mr Xia's words are profound. If we pay attention to this in advance, we can also leave more valuable wealth for future generations.'

...

After chatting for a while, Xia Yu finally got to the point.

His face straightened, and he looked at Wu Siming and said, 'Mayor Wu, this time I have come back and thought of a way that is suitable for Xia Village. If it is successful in practice, it can even be promoted throughout the county and the city, which will be of great help in terms of foreign exchange earnings.'

As soon as he mentioned foreign exchange earnings, Mayor Wu Siming, sitting next to him, and County Magistrate Li, as well as Mayor Zhao, both stared at Xia Yu, transfixed.

Wu Siming hurriedly asked, 'Mr Xia, what kind of road are you talking about?'

Xia Yu smiled, looking at County Magistrate Li and said, 'County Magistrate Li should know, it's planting navel oranges on a large scale.'

'Navel oranges?'

Mayor Li didn't expect Xia Yu to be talking about this. Of course he knew about navel oranges. Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of Wu Siming and Mayor Zhao, he hurriedly explained, 'Honourable leaders, in Andong Town of our county, there is a place where navel oranges are grown. Previously, they were even sold at the Canton Fair on a trial basis, and sold to customers in Xiangjiang at a price of 36 Hong Kong dollars per kilogram. In US dollars, that's nearly eight US dollars per kilogram.'

'I have also been to the site to see for myself, but the planting area is not large, with just over 100 trees, and planting navel oranges is very demanding. Not only does it require a high level of technical skill, but it is also very strict in terms of soil and climate. So far, no large-scale planting methods have been found.'

Hearing County Magistrate Li say this, a flash of regret passed through the eyes of Wu Siming and Mayor Zhao, who had been shocked.

Just then, Xia Yu spoke up, 'I also have some knowledge of navel oranges. This crop was first discovered in Brazil, and then successfully cultivated in the United States. In fact, there is already mature cultivation technology in the United States. If you want to learn, you can simply send someone to the United States to learn, and then carry out localised improvements.'

'Secondly, in terms of the environment, the entire Longfeng County is actually suitable for growing navel oranges. There are also unique rare earth mines here, and the soil contains various rare trace elements. This is the fundamental reason why the taste exceeds that of American navel oranges.'

'So I plan to organise the planting of navel oranges in Xiayuan village and cooperate with the state to establish a navel orange planting research centre. The state will provide policies and research personnel, and I will provide funding and research equipment. Using Xiayuan village as the practical planting base, if successful, it will explore a path to wealth for the people of southern Jiangxi.'

Wu Siming did not expect Xia Yu to have come up with such a complete plan. On second thought, he felt that it would bring nothing but benefits.

If it succeeds, then Ganzhou and even the whole province of Jiangxi will have a special industry, and it will also generate valuable foreign exchange for the country.

Perhaps by then he won't be in Jiangxi Province anymore, but being able to do something for the people's welfare is enough!

The more he thinks about it, the more excited he becomes.

Wu Siming immediately nodded: 'Mr Xia, for something that benefits the country and the people, I don't think I can find any reason to refuse. However, after all, I'm not in charge of the agricultural sector, and this also involves a higher level. I can't make the decision, and many people above will have to decide on the specifics of how to implement it.'

Xia Yu smiled and said, 'I understand. Please ask the mayor to mention this to the higher authorities.'

Wu Siming immediately nodded, 'There's no phone here, so I'll go to the town right now and report the news. I'll give you a reply as soon as possible.'

After that, Wu Siming immediately set off, taking Li Bin with him to the town of Nanshi.

During lunch, Xia Anshan, who had already heard the news from Xia Yongquan, asked Xia Yu about planting navel oranges, and Xia Yu spent the whole lunch chatting with them.

At Xia Yu's repeated requests, Xia Anshan suppressed his excitement and anxiously waited for news from above.

When Wu Siming arrived in town at noon, a phone call sent the mood of the bigwigs in the provincial capital into a state of flux. An emergency meeting was held that afternoon, and the unanimous decision was to vote in favour of such a good thing for the country and the people, and report it to the provincial government.

Two days later, the decision from the higher-ups came down, fully supporting the actions of patriotic overseas Chinese Xia Yu, and the nameplate for the National Navel Orange Research Centre was quickly approved.

When Xia Yu saw the content of the red-headed document, he not only smiled, but so did Wu Siming, Mayor Zhao, County Magistrate Li, and others.

Subsequently, Mayor Zhao and County Magistrate Li immediately implemented the decision from the higher-ups, and notified the other members at home to formulate an implementation plan as soon as possible based on the content of the document.

Xia Anshan, who was also waiting anxiously, felt infinitely honoured when he learned that the country had agreed, and at the same time, he was full of hope for the future. He immediately convened a meeting of the villagers' representative assembly.

At the meeting, Xia Yu painted a picture of the prospects for navel orange cultivation, and with his current prestige, the villagers had no doubts.

Coupled with the official support they had received, how could they not be willing? Xia Xinhua's support was the loudest.

With all the links established, Xia Yu immediately instructed the people from Kyushu Industrial Co., Ltd. to set up a company called Kyushu Fruit Co., Ltd. to cooperate with the authorities in the name of the company and establish a national navel orange planting research centre, taking up 49% of the equity.

Then, it was made clear that Kyushu Fruit Co., Ltd. would take the lead in solving problems in areas such as planting techniques, seedlings and sales.

The men, women and children of Xia Village, in the current slack season for farming, all flocked to the mountains and forests to start clearing land in an orderly manner according to the plan, preparing for the planting of navel oranges in the coming year.