Chapter 70 "I'm Really Worried About Madam"

It is even more impossible to find a suitable acquisition price in the market.

"Low grain prices hurt farmers" is a topic that has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

…

At the coordination meeting.

The Agricultural Bureau's Drone Agricultural Technology Promotion and Application Department took the lead in responding to Zhou Junheng's inquiry about which fields in the city and county have already been applied to the technology.

"Director Zhou, Guangde City, with the support of the city's Agricultural College, has focused on promoting drones in areas such as crop spraying and bamboo felling, eliminating the labor-intensive and risky tasks of transporting bamboo from remote mountainous areas."

"During the same period, we also cooperated with the water conservancy department to carry out drone inspections of reservoirs. The speed and safety of drone response to severe weather emergency forecasts issued by the meteorological department have been greatly improved, reducing casualties and accidents."

Zhou Junheng nodded. "The essence of technology is to serve the people. The 'Hundreds of Millions of Projects' has shown that drones are used to pick lychees in Lingnan, reducing the workload for farmers. How are Guangde's drones empowering local specialty industries?"

Agricultural product development related staff report:

"Director Zhou, our city is in the process of exploring."

"Due to the mountainous terrain, tea leaves need to be picked to maintain their freshness before being transported to the next stage for roasting. The ridges are impassable, so pickers have to carry the loads on their shoulders. Currently, drones can be remotely controlled to carry heavy loads, ensuring tea quality. This will definitely be beneficial to sustainable development in the long run."

"It is expected that after formalization, it will drive an average annual increase of more than 2,000 yuan in income for 350 farmers in the village."

"Well, your draft and preliminary plan are quite complete. What's the current cost for companies or tea plantation owners to use drones?"

"Thank you for your question, Director Zhou. To reduce the economic burden on farmers, our county has adopted a unified bidding and procurement system by government departments, charging transparently based on the market price of the time and operator."

"This year and next year are the technology promotion period. In combination with agricultural support policies and the specific conditions of our city and counties, Guangde City has adopted a charging standard: the first hour is free for trial use, and the remaining time is subsidized by 20% of the market price, so that the people can truly feel the convenience of technology."

Director Zhou mentioned a key point regarding the drone operators he mentioned.

"Currently, the majority of drone operators are young people and college students. This profession has grown rapidly in recent years. Do county and city governments have the necessary talent? I saw a document stating that they will collaborate with local universities to establish experimental classes. After completing professional training and obtaining a drone license, these classes can provide support to the local community. Are college students willing to learn this?"

"Because they are young and sensitive to new things and technologies, they are naturally more willing to learn and learn faster than the middle-aged and elderly groups. But are young students willing to go to the countryside to do these kinds of work?"

"In other words, what is the attraction of Guangde that makes young people willing to move to the countryside and stay there?"

This question made the atmosphere a little quiet. Zhou Junheng was not finding fault, but pointing out a very core point in the promotion of the project: talent supply.

Zhou Junheng broke the silence, "I know this is actually more of a coordination issue. Talent is just one link, but it affects the entire system. The influx of talent requires an economic foundation, industry, technological facilities, medical care, and children's education."

"Guangde City's foundation is not as strong as that of coastal areas, so it's even more important for all of us to work together for development. Not all peacocks want to fly southeast or leave their hometowns. Finding a job close to home is something many people dream of."

"In addition, the purchase of drone equipment must strictly adhere to the principle of voluntariness and non-compulsory nature. Illegal sales promotion, accepting kickbacks, and rebates must not occur. Furthermore, equipment price premiums must be strictly controlled to ensure that farmers who are willing to purchase receive a good price."

"Market regulatory authorities should do a good job in supervising companies' after-sales maintenance services. This is not a one-time deal. People's money doesn't come from the wind; it's earned through hard work. Their reputation is the premise for all our progress."

The person in charge on the right side of the long table nodded. "Yes, Director Zhou, we understand. We will definitely strengthen supervision of related behaviors."

"Regarding Guangde City's promotion of drone technology, I have one more thing to remind you:"

"It's about training drone operators. Drones require not only solid technical skills, but also because most of the people they work with are farmers with relatively low educational levels. Some of them may have poor hearing, and they may not understand certain words... So this is not only a technical job, but also a job of conscience—"

"The farmland is the farmer's livelihood. We are all farmers' sons. We need to be patient in communication and have a conscience in our work."

The man's enunciation was clear, and the more angles he spoke caused everyone to think deeply and frown.

Today's itinerary actually only includes one research project. In the past, many people participated in more research projects, which were often brief. The detailed version was mostly on the second day, and was summarized in a written report and then delivered at the conference.

Zhou Junheng requested an impromptu coordination meeting and, without a moment's rest or outline, directly raised the issues he was concerned about.

The meeting was fast-paced and highly efficient, but at the same time, it was very sharp and pointed out problems.

There is no official language or empty talk, and the broad perspective and thinking make people admire the ability of this young director.

No one dared to be distracted.

Because everyone at the meeting level may be asked questions at any time.

“Finally, during this survey, we discovered a specific problem:”

"I heard a farmer complain about the poor quality of drone spraying technology, saying it was just a gimmick to cheat people out of their money. The grass in his cornfield was almost half a person tall, and the corn harvest was very poor. He invested in corn seeds and the cost of operating the drone, and he didn't get any return at all."

"I just sent staff to this farmer's home to inquire specifically. The old man was very resentful and said he would definitely not try again this year. Is he an isolated case, or do others share this sentiment? Has the technical department followed up with any specific follow-up visits? What exactly is the problem? Are people pretending not to know, or are they simply not interested in finding out?"

"This may just be an ordinary job in our daily life, but it is a year's harvest for them, don't you understand?"

Zhang Hao just delivered the information he had asked Mr. Zhao, and Zhou Junheng couldn't help but frown.

This is not a small problem. It involves work attitude and people's satisfaction. If word spreads from one villager to another, who would dare to use it?

The man spoke with great force, not with any profound truth, but his aura unconsciously gave people a sense of oppression:

"I ask everyone to remember our original intention and mission: technology is to help farmers, not to destroy them!"

"The technical specialist just told me in the field that we need to consider wind speed and the growth characteristics of local vegetation during the specific operation process."

"Adapting to local conditions is not just empty talk, and crossing the river by feeling the stones doesn't mean we're stuck in the sand because we're afraid of making mistakes. Drone spraying is a process of trial and error, and at the beginning we didn't even know if it was suitable."

"The cotton plants in Xinjiang are naturally tall and dense, so aerial spraying can only cover the surface. They reduced the water application rate to 6 liters per mu, reducing 80-centimeter cotton to about 50 centimeters. This has largely solved the problem of large-scale spraying. Guangde should also take the first step to explore the method that suits them!"

"Thank you all for your hard work, comrades!"

"But I sincerely hope that in the future Guangde can use drones to improve production efficiency, so that farmers can effectively reduce fatigue and lessen their hard work; effectively implement macro-control of the minimum purchase price of agricultural products, so that farmers' incomes can steadily increase; and finally, consumers can consume high-quality and low-priced goods in a prosperous market!"

“…”

The meeting lasted more than two hours, and it was almost two o'clock when Zhou Junheng finished.

Without further delay, the relevant personnel had their meal in the office cafeteria.

The leaders and their entourage were also in the reception room upstairs in the cafeteria.

There is no grand ceremony that wastes people's money and time, and the style of doing things is very low-key.

The intensity was comparable to the workload of two days of overtime work they had done in the past. Even though everyone had some opinions, no one dared to complain. Everyone could see Zhou Junheng's attitude, and he was a representative of the tough and decisive faction.

Every sentence points directly to the problem.

The leader spoke with a dry mouth but didn't say anything, but their little Karami observed the boss's thinking and way of doing things on the spot.

I really learned a lot.

"Director Zhou, thank you for your visit today and your concern for Guangde's development. We will definitely correct all the issues you raised!"

"You're welcome. It's all for development."

"Mr. Zhou's impatience has delayed everyone's time today. Some aspects may not have been well considered. We still need to go to the site to have a look before we can finalize the details."

"Premier Zhou also said, 'Sitting in an office is a problem; actually walking down the aisle, observing, and doing is the solution.'"

Compared to his powerful speeches at the meeting, Zhou Junheng was not forthcoming during the meal. His courteous and polite manners were all a testament to his humility. His sharp edge was always revealed on crucial occasions and during crucial moments. It was not directed at anyone.

The combination of being able to hold both a relaxed and tense posture and being young and promising in a high position is concentrated in one person.

Zhou Junheng would unconsciously be impressed by his personal charm in his dealings with others. Men with both outstanding talents and family background are particularly rare, so they appear more prominent and dazzling.

They really want to know to whom such a person would belong?

But when the leader tried to persuade him to stay again, the man politely declined: "Thank you very much! But my wife just recovered from her injury today, and I'm really worried about her health. Next time there's a chance, my wife and I will come to Guangde together!"