A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

At the end of November, the peak sales season for Apple products was drawing to a close.

Li Chao was taking inventory in the warehouse, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Officer Li, this is the last batch."

Xiao Zhang pointed to dozens of boxes in the corner, "They are all defective fruits of uneven size, with slight bumps and spots on the skin... about two tons in total."

According to the standards for premium fruits, these fruits cannot be packaged in the "Shihezi Red" gift box.

But if you're going to throw them away, they're all sweet, they're just not pretty.

"What did you do with these fruits in previous years?" Li Chao asked.

"Sell it cheaply."

Aini walked over and said, "Three or five yuan a kilogram, sell to the juice factory."

Or... if they really can't be sold, they'll be used to feed the sheep.

Feeding sheep?

Li Chao picked up a piece of fruit.

There is a scar the size of a fingernail on the surface, but it does not affect the inside.

He wiped it clean, took a bite, and the juice burst out; it was just as sweet.

"Such sweet apples, feeding them to sheep? That's such a waste."

Aini shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. Our current processing capacity is only enough to make some dried fruit."

However, the fruit drying process is outdated, resulting in low prices and not even covering labor costs.

Li Chao paced back and forth in the warehouse.

He recalled an apple processing company he visited in Shandong last year.

They don't waste a single bit of the substandard fruit: they juice it, make vinegar, brew fruit wine, make crisps... and even the fruit pulp can be used as animal feed.

"We need to do further processing."

Li Chao stopped in his tracks. "Otherwise, all these defective fruits every year are just a waste of money."

In early December, Li Chao set off with a five-person expedition team.

The team members include Aini, Xiao Zhang, and the heads of two cooperatives.

Their first stop was Qixia, Shandong.

A leading enterprise in Qixia, whose owner surnamed Sun, personally received a colleague from Xinjiang upon hearing that he was visiting.

"Li Chao, I've heard of your Shihezi Red."

Mr. Sun was very enthusiastic, saying, "It's organic certified, and the quality is excellent."

But deep processing and processing fresh fruit are two different concepts.

He took Li Chao on a tour of the production line.

The first line is NFC juice (not from concentrate).

Apple washing, crushing, pressing, sterilization, filling... all fully automated, capable of processing five tons of apples per hour.

"The key to this line lies in sterilization technology."

Mr. Sun said, "Low-temperature sterilization preserves the nutrition and taste to the maximum extent."

"The sunshine in your Gobi Desert is strong, which helps separate the sugars from the apples, so the juice made from it will definitely be sweet."

The second line is the fruit vinegar fermentation line.

The huge stainless steel fermentation tanks contain apple juice that ferments naturally for three months, resulting in apple cider vinegar.

"This added value is higher."

A 500ml bottle of high-quality apple cider vinegar can retail for fifty or sixty yuan.

Moreover, it has a long shelf life, so there's no fear of overstocking.

The third line that interested Li Chao the most was the vacuum low-temperature dehydration crisping line.

The apples are sliced ​​thinly and dehydrated at low temperature in a vacuum environment.

The resulting crisps are bright in color, have a crispy texture, and retain more than 90% of their nutrients.

"This technology is the most advanced, but it also has the highest profit margin."

Mr. Sun spoke frankly: "One ton of apples can make one hundred kilograms of crisps, which retail for two hundred yuan per kilogram. Do the math, how many times more money has been added?"

Li Chao quickly calculated in his mind: fresh fruit costs fifteen yuan per kilogram, and if it is made into crisps, its value will increase more than tenfold.

"Boss Sun, this equipment..."

"Not cheap."

Mr. Sun saw through his thoughts: "A complete deep processing production line, plus factory buildings, technology, and worker training, requires an initial investment of at least three million."

Three million.

Li Chao took a breath.

After returning from the inspection, Li Chao locked himself in his room for three days and wrote a 30-page "Feasibility Report on the Deep Processing Project of Gobi Apples".

The report clarified the accounts:

The initial investment was three million.

Five hundred tons of defective and substandard fruit are processed annually.

The production capacity includes 100 tons of NFC juice, 50 tons of fruit vinegar, and 20 tons of apple chips.

The estimated annual output value is eight million, and the net profit is one and a half million.

Break-even in two years, and start making a profit in the third year.

More importantly, it can create fifty jobs, increase the value of substandard fruit by five to ten times, extend the industrial chain, and mitigate the risks of fluctuations in fresh fruit market prices.

The report was submitted, and Zhou Mingyu took it very seriously.

A week later, he personally led a team to conduct research.

"Li Chao, your idea is excellent."

As Zhou Mingyu walked through the orchard, he said, "But three million is no small sum."

The management committee can provide some support, but you'll have to figure out the rest yourself.

Li Chao was prepared, "We raised 1.5 million yuan ourselves."

The six cooperatives each contributed 250,000 yuan.

For the rest... I'd like to apply for an agricultural industrialization support loan.

"I can help you arrange a loan."

Zhou Mingyu nodded, "But there's a condition: the processing plant must be built in Shihezi, and local workers must be given priority."

"must!"

The location was quickly decided: a ten-acre plot of wasteland right next to the core orchard.

The advantages are its proximity to raw materials, low transportation costs, and cheap land.

In March, before the Gobi Desert had fully thawed, the processing plant broke ground.

The equipment was ordered from Shandong and will arrive in June.

The installation and debugging took a full month.

The biggest problem isn't the equipment itself, but the skilled workers.

Mr. Sun sent two technicians to provide guidance, but they could only stay for half a month.

"Officer Li, operating this equipment requires some skill."

The technician frankly stated, "Especially in the sterilization and vacuum dehydration processes, even slight differences in temperature, pressure, and time can significantly impact product quality."

"Could we stay a little longer?" Li Chao asked.

"I still have tasks to complete at the company..."

Li Chao understood the core technology; others wouldn't easily teach it to him.

There was no other way, so he could only have Xiao Zhang lead a few young people to learn from him day and night.

As the technicians performed each step, they recorded it, took videos, made notes, and practiced repeatedly.

However, the technicians kept some key parameters to themselves.

"What sterilization temperature should be set?"

"This... needs to be adjusted according to the apple variety."

"How exactly should it be adjusted?"

"It depends on experience."

experience.

These two words became the biggest hurdle.

In July, Researcher Lü came to investigate and heard about this problem.

"The reliance on cadres sent to Xinjiang for technical assistance is an old problem."

Researcher Lü aptly pointed out, "People come and go, but they can't bring technology with them."

To solve this completely, we need to cultivate our own people.

"How do we train them?" Li Chao asked.

"Build a platform."

Researcher Lü had long had the idea that "the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Tacheng region could cooperate to build a joint agricultural innovation experimental building."

We bring in the technology, equipment, and experts; you send people to learn.

Once you've mastered your skills, go back and mentor your apprentices.

This idea received support from both local governments.

Three months later, a three-story laboratory building with an area of ​​791.58 square meters rose up on the outskirts of the county town.

The first floor houses the laboratories: a soil analysis room, an agricultural product testing room, and a microbial culture room.

The second floor houses training facilities: a multimedia classroom, a practical workshop, and a library.

The third floor houses expert apartments and offices.

Many people came on the day of the unveiling.

On behalf of the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Researcher Lü donated experimental equipment worth 500,000 yuan.

Professor Zhang brought five experts who promised to come once a quarter and stay for half a month each time.

The county has promised to allocate 300,000 yuan annually for operating expenses.

But what excited Li Chao the most was the plan announced by Researcher Lü—

"Starting today, the local agricultural technician training program is officially launched. The first phase will recruit twenty people."

Requirements: High school diploma or above, under 35 years old, willing to settle down in rural areas.