The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 637: Cash Crops, Avoiding the Switch from Rice to Mulberry

"The Johor State Education Department is not in charge of the department, and the director is Lee Kuan Yue."

"Oh?"

Zhang Chi chewed on this very familiar name. He didn't expect that the other party had already made a name for himself on the Malay Peninsula at this time.

"What did he do to make you, Old Chen, praise him so much?"

Chen Zhenchuan organized his thoughts and then reported Li Kuanyue's recent actions in a concise but focused manner.

This includes how Li Kuanyue openly accused the existence of an "anti-Zhangchi secret group" at an education conference, and how he listed the "evidence" in books such as "Malay Annals" and "History of the Glass Palace".

How they had fierce confrontations with Malay officials, and how they eventually promoted the establishment of the "Thought Audit Team" and carried out large-scale confiscation and burning of so-called "poisonous weeds" books.

"...This man's actions can be described as brutal and decisive, even simmering with suspicion of frame-up," Chen Zhenchuan commented objectively. "His methods are overly radical and easily draw criticism. Many local Johor gentry are already dissatisfied with him, calling him a 'cruel official.'"

"However, its purpose is clear, its execution is strong, its loyalty to you, Commander, and the 'Nanyang Order' is unquestionable, and its effectiveness is immediate. In the short term, it has indeed strongly suppressed separatist thoughts in some parts of Johor. It may be used to deal with a thorny and resentful matter like population replacement, which may be very effective."

As a fellow Malay and Singaporean Chinese, Chen Zhenchuan naturally wants to support his fellow countrymen.

Zhang Chi tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers and glanced at Chen Zhenchuan inconspicuously.

The existence of local factions and cliques is an objective reality.

It is almost impossible to eliminate it, all he can do is balance and restrict it.

As for Li Kuanyue, no matter what the future holds, he is currently a loyal and capable young man, and that is enough.

"Li Kuanyue..." Zhang Chi pondered for a moment and did not immediately express his opinion. "Okay, I'll remember this name."

"Population replacement is a matter of great importance. It's a complex issue that will affect the entire system, and it won't be accomplished overnight. We'll discuss this later. First, based on the actual situation, come up with a detailed, step-by-step, feasible plan."

Zhang Chi did not appear to confirm or deny the recommendation, but instead kicked the ball back and asked for a more specific plan.

This is both a cautious approach to complex issues and a further examination of the subordinates' abilities.

"Yes." Chen Zhenchuan understood the meaning. Anyway, Li Kuanyue's name had entered Fang Mo's sight, which could be regarded as a promotion, so he said no more.

The topic then turned to another key area concerning people's livelihood - cash crops.

Zhang Chi first set the tone:

"Staple food production is the ballast of Southeast Asia, and this red line cannot be shaken at any time. No matter how high the profits of cash crops are, ensuring that everyone has enough to eat is the top priority and is related to national security."

After gaining unanimous approval from everyone, Zhang Guangsong began to report on the status of cash crops:

"At present, the main cash crops in our country are still rubber and tropical fruits.

The rubber plantation area has exceeded six million mu (approximately 1.5 million hectares), and the annual output is estimated to reach 400,000 tons, accounting for nearly 60% of global production, with a huge output value.

Zhang Chi pursed his lips. Before the war, the peak planting area in Nanyang was 10 million mu, with an annual output of 600,000 tons, worth nearly 500 million US dollars.

Due to the war, even though many rubber trees have been replanted in Southeast Asia recently, there is still a certain distance to go before they can recover to their peak.

Zhang Guangsong continued: "Tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples, papayas, and mangoes are widely grown. In addition to meeting domestic demand, they are also canned and exported in large quantities, which is also an important source of foreign exchange."

He then looked to the future:

“Next, we plan to vigorously promote the planting of higher-value cash crops such as peanuts, coffee, cocoa, and oil palm.

Peanuts can not only be used to extract oil, but their straw and cake are also high-quality feed, and their roots can fix nitrogen, which is beneficial to the soil.

Coffee, cocoa, etc. are in high demand in the international market and are extremely valuable;

Oil palm oil production far exceeds that of traditional oil crops and has broad prospects.

The promotion of these crops will greatly increase farmers’ income.”

Zhang Chi nodded after listening and confirmed the general direction.

Nanyang's industry is just starting out, and its population is still mainly agricultural.

As long as the income of the agricultural population can be guaranteed, there will be no chaos in Southeast Asia.

He then raised two deeper questions:

“The first question is about the industrial chain.

We cannot always be just a supplier of raw materials.

When rubber is ready, it is sold directly as latex; when fruit is ripe, it is sold directly as fresh fruit. The bulk of the profits are taken away by the processing and sales links in the middle.

We must develop our own light industries, such as the existing rubber processing plants that produce tires and hoses;

Fruit canning factories and dried fruit factories should also be established.

One more processing step means one more profit left in Nanyang, and it can also create more jobs.

Hongsheng, please take care of this matter and work with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to promote it."

Bai Hongsheng immediately accepted the order: "Understood. We will study policies to attract domestic and foreign capital to invest in the factory, and organize technology introduction and talent training."

"The second issue, and the more crucial one, is farmers' income." Zhang Chi's expression grew serious. "As the ancients said, 'Low grain prices hurt farmers.' Planting rubber, coffee, and peanuts brings in quick profits, while planting rice and corn is relatively unprofitable.

If this continues, will there be a situation where we have to replace rice with mulberry trees?

Are the farmers who grow staple food and feed more than 50 million people in Southeast Asia inherently poorer than the farmers who grow cash crops?

How to protect their interests and ensure their enthusiasm for growing grain is a fundamental issue concerning fairness and national stability.

Guangsong, you should take the lead in researching this issue and come up with a practical and feasible solution for me."

Zhang Guangsong looked solemn, knowing full well the weight of this issue.

He pondered for a moment and spoke cautiously:

"The President's concerns are very true. My initial thought is that we could consider establishing a 'grain protection price', where the government would pledge to purchase grain at that price when market prices fall below a certain level, thus ensuring basic income for grain farmers."

At the same time, can farmers who grow staple food be given certain seed and fertilizer subsidies, or tax exemptions, to compensate for the income difference between them and those who grow cash crops?

The specific amount and operation method still need to be calculated in detail."

Bai Hongsheng also added: "The development of light industry can also feed back into agriculture. For example, food processing plants require a large amount of grain raw materials, which in itself can create a stable demand market."

Zhang Chi approved of their initial ideas:

"Protective pricing, subsidies, creating demand... the direction is right. Guangsong, follow this line of thought, conduct in-depth research, and come up with a detailed plan for me as soon as possible."

There is only one principle: we must not let our grain farmers suffer losses. They are the true foundation of Nanyang."