A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

When Ding Xuemin pushed open the door to the village committee meeting room, the room was already filled with smoke.

A dozen or so aquaculture farmers were crammed around a long table, some with their legs crossed, others leaning against the wall, all with impatient expressions on their faces.

"Everyone's here?" Ding Xuemin placed the folder on the table and sat down, trying to appear calm.

"Director Ding, let's get straight to the point."

Old Chen, who was sitting at the front, spoke first. He was the person who had been raising crabs the longest in the village, so his words carried weight. "We've discussed that organic certification; it's not feasible."

A chorus of agreement erupted in the conference room.

Ding Xuemin took a deep breath: "Old Chen, you can't say that."

We've already invested so much time and effort; if we give up now, all our previous efforts will have been wasted.

"effort?

My crab production has dropped by 30%!

Do you know how much crabs cost now? We're losing over ten yuan per pound!

"that is!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "They still won't let us use bottom conditioner! The pond bottom is stinking, do you know how many crabs have died?"

Ding Xuemin opened the folder in front of him: "Everyone, let me finish."

The crabs from Tacheng have obtained organic certification, and their crabs are twice the price of ours.

"I've been running around like crazy these past few months, and I finally managed to get in touch with Luyuan Fresh Produce. They're willing to buy our organic seafood at 150% of the market price, and the orders are already coming in!"

He pulled a contract out of the folder and placed it on the table.

"The order is worth 1.5 million, and the down payment of 300,000 is already in the bank."

Once the verification is complete, the money will be distributed to everyone immediately.

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Old Chen coughed and said, "The order is good, but can it be verified?"

Have the results of the random inspection of crabs come out yet?

A herdsman stood up. "It didn't pass. They said they found residues of banned drugs."

"What?!"

"Why are you secretly taking medication again?"

"What can I do!"

The pond is covered in blue-green algae; if we don't use medicine, all the shrimp will die.

Ding Xuemin felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

He leaned on the table, saying, "Before the certification, I repeatedly emphasized that chemical reagents must not be used again."

We signed a commitment letter.

"Can a letter of commitment be eaten as food?"

Your organic methods are slow to work; by the time they take effect, all the crabs will be dead! How will my family survive?

The meeting room erupted in chaos.

"I knew this certification was unreliable!"

"Director Ding is an official; how would he know our actual difficulties?"

"We'll starve to death just for a certificate!"

Looking at the excited faces in front of her, Ding Xuemin felt all the fatigue of the past three months wash over her.

Organic certification was a solution he had been considering for a long time.

But when you actually start doing it, you realize that every step is difficult.

"Quiet!" Ding Xuemin raised her voice.

The meeting room gradually quieted down.

He slowed his speech, trying to make his voice sound as steady as possible: "I understand everyone's difficulties."

But we've already come this far.

The order has been signed, but breaching it would mean paying 300,000 yuan in damages. The village can't afford that, so everyone has to share the cost.

"Why should we lose money?" a herdsman shouted.

"Just because the contract was signed by the village collective and used the name of our cooperative!"

Ding Xuemin finally couldn't help but slam her hand on the table, "The decision to apply for certification was made by a vote of everyone!"

"Now that you're facing difficulties, you want to give up? There's no such thing as an easy way out."

Old Chen sighed: "Secretary Ding, it's not that we want to withdraw, it's just that we really can't manage it."

Those organic procedures are too complicated. They require recording feed amounts and testing water quality. We're a bunch of roughnecks; how would we understand any of that?

Ding Xuemin opened her laptop. "I understand. Over the past three months, I've compiled a complete set of operation manuals and simplified them into the easiest-to-understand steps."

As long as you strictly follow the guidelines, you're guaranteed to pass the certification!

He looked around and said, "I will personally resolve the Wang family's problem."

However, other companies must never use banned drugs again.

If another problem is discovered, the certification is completely ruined, and the orders will be lost.

"What if something still goes wrong if we follow your method?" someone asked.

"I'll take responsibility."

Ding Xuemin said, slowly and deliberately, "If any pond has a problem, I will personally cover the losses first."

But the prerequisite is that the procedures must be followed strictly, without the slightest deviation!

A buzz of discussion filled the conference room.

Old Chen exchanged glances with several other veteran farmers, then slowly spoke, "Secretary Ding, do you mean what you say?"

"I can write it down in black and white," Ding Xuemin said, taking out paper and pen from her bag.

"What if the verification still fails?"

"There is one more opportunity for a retest."

Ding Xuemin said, "For the past two months, I've been living and working in the village, keeping an eye on each household. As long as everyone cooperates, we'll definitely get through this!"

Wang Laowu stubbed out his second cigarette. "Director Ding, my pond..."

"I'll go to your pond right now and take a look."

I have an organic method for treating cyanobacteria.

After the meeting adjourned, Ding Xuemin was the last to leave the conference room.

As he reached the door, Old Chen called out to him.

Old Chen offered Ding Xuemin a cigarette, but Ding waved it away. Old Chen lit it himself. "Director Ding, why are you doing this? If the certification fails, it's just a project failure at most. It won't have much impact on you personally."

But if you actually sign a written agreement to pay compensation, how many companies could you afford to pay with your meager salary?

Ding Xuemin smiled wryly: "Uncle Chen, I've been in the village for three years."

This organic certification is a truly sustainable long-term solution that can increase everyone's income. I can't just watch it fail.

Old Chen gave him a deep look: "You're an honest man. Starting tomorrow, you'll keep an eye on my pond and set an example for everyone."

"Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Old Chen exhaled a puff of smoke. "Don't thank me. I'm after that 1.5 million yuan order."

If it really falls through, I'll have no face left to save."

For the next few weeks, Ding Xuemin practically lived by the pond.

He gets up at four in the morning to help the farmers prepare feed and feed them; during the day, he goes door-to-door to check records and monitor water quality; and at night, he organizes training sessions, breaking down the complex organic standards for everyone.

Wang Laowu's pond is indeed troublesome.

Faced with a severe cyanobacterial bloom, Ding Xuemin consulted a large amount of information and finally adopted a biological control method, introducing some specific plankton and probiotics.

After seeing no results in the first few days, Wang Laowu was so anxious that he developed blisters on his lips and almost secretly used the medicine again, but Ding Xuemin stopped him.

"Wait three more days. If it doesn't work, I'll compensate you for all your losses."

On the morning of the fourth day, the pond water began to clear up. A week later, the blue-green algae had significantly decreased.

Wang Laowu stared at the shrimp pond that was gradually regaining its vitality, and remained silent for a long time. "Director Ding, I'm impressed."

Li Dazhuang encountered a new problem. Even after strictly controlling the amount of food he fed, the crabs were growing slowly, causing him great anxiety.

Ding Xuemin helped him adjust the feed ratio, increasing the proportion of natural algae and microorganisms. Although the cost was slightly higher, the crabs' health improved significantly.

"Director Ding, these crabs are healthy, but they're growing slowly," Li Dazhuang said with a worried expression.

"Organic crabs are sold based on quality, not quantity."

Ding Xuemin patiently explained, "Look, crabs with shiny shells and plenty of vitality are the ones that are in high demand in the market."

The most difficult part is the record-keeping. Many farmers have low levels of education, making it a major challenge to fill out daily management record forms.

Ding Xuemin came up with a solution: he simplified the record sheet to the extreme by changing it to a checkmark and drawing format.

Two months later, on the day of the supplementary inspection, the staff of the certification body came to the village again.

Sampling, testing, reviewing records...

Ding Xuemin accompanied the inspectors for an entire day.

His palms were sweaty when the last water sample was sent for testing.

Old Chen handed over a bottle of water: "Director Ding, you've done your best."

Three days later, the certification body notified me.

Ding Xuemin stood at the entrance of the village committee, looking at the document bag delivered by the courier, but dared not open it.

Li Dazhuang, Wang Laowu, Lao Chen, and other farmers gathered around.

"Tear it down, Director Ding!" Li Dazhuang urged.

Ding Xuemin took a deep breath and tore open the file bag.

He held up the document. "Passed! We've passed the verification!"