Chapter 286 Cut off the flow
In March, the ice and snow on the North China Plain began to melt, and there were signs of spring.

However, at this time, North America was experiencing an unprecedented cooling event.

On a small island in Newfoundland.

As Gaul’s only remaining overseas colony in North America, the Miquelon Islands has many scientific research institutions that study climate and environment.

Pierre Jean looked at the North Atlantic sea surface temperature sensed by satellite and his face was extremely solemn, because he found that the North Atlantic warm current had weakened rapidly since February this year, and in March, the situation further deteriorated.

The satellite remote sensing data in front of him at this moment was revealing this cold reality to him.

Because the North Atlantic warm current has almost stopped flowing, the east coast of North America is still covered with snow in March, with no sign of spring at all.

His assistant was equally worried: “Doctor, the data from the mainland has also arrived.”

“Is the situation very bad?” Dr. Pierre Jean said as he took the document. After reading it for a while, he sighed helplessly: “Alas…human beings are still too small in front of nature.”

According to reports, the temperature in Gaul itself was also about five degrees Celsius lower than in previous years.

The entire Baltic Sea has been completely frozen, and the Barents Sea, which has been navigable all year round for the past decade, is also covered by the Arctic ice sheet.

The Arctic route that was so popular in the past few years was suddenly hit hard by the ruthless force of nature.

The temperate oceanic climate in Western Europe is entirely due to the North Atlantic Current. Otherwise, their climate would be similar to that of the northeastern region of Serbia. After all, the latitudes of the two regions are similar.

The consequence of this drastic climate change is that winters are colder and summers are hotter; extreme high temperatures in low latitudes are becoming more frequent, and extreme low temperatures in high latitudes are also becoming more frequent.

The collapse, or reconstruction, of the North Atlantic Current is likely to bring about a major change in the global climate.

Affected by this extreme weather, the Caribbean region of Central America and the Amazon rainforest region of South America have experienced extremely high temperatures, and powerful tropical cyclones are constantly brewing and sweeping towards North America.

Due to the interruption of the North Atlantic warm current, eastern and central North America did not receive much warm and humid air, and the inland areas became dry and cold.

In particular, due to the topography of the Great Plains of North America, without the counteraction of the hot and humid air currents of the North Atlantic Current, the cold air of the Arctic cold vortex can move straight in, all the way to Texas and northern Florida, causing a significant drop in temperature in the local area.

Fox Television.

The host asked seriously, “Hello, Dr. Kevin, when do you think the North American temperature drop will subside?”

The bald Dr. Kevin shook his head and said, “It will take at least a month.”

“A month?”

“Yes, Mr. Host.”

The host asked again: “What do you think caused this big drop in temperature? Could it be caused by Seres transforming the desert?”

“Huh?” Dr. Kevin was confused by the other party’s irrelevant topic. After a few seconds, he replied helplessly: “The desert transformation activities in eastern Asia will not affect the world so quickly, especially the North Atlantic. However, the global climate is a whole, so it may have some impact.”

“Oh?” The host was delighted to hear what he wanted to introduce, and immediately asked, “I heard that photovoltaic panels and wind power will also affect the climate. In the past decade or so, the scale of photovoltaic and wind power in East Asia has become increasingly large. I wonder if the emergence of these projects will lead to further deterioration of the global climate?”

Dr. Kevin already knew what the Fox TV host was thinking, but considering the call from his financial backer just before he entered the studio, he also knew what he should say.

Dr. Kevin nodded and said solemnly, “Photovoltaic and wind power do affect the climate. If photovoltaic and wind power are developed on a large scale, the variables accumulated in local areas may cause sudden climate changes in other parts of the world.”

The host continued to guide the topic: “Dr. Kevin, if these photovoltaic and wind power plants are removed, can we curb the continued deterioration of the global climate?”

“I think it has some effect.”

Then the host turned around and looked at another special guest in the studio: “Professor Sterling, what impact do you think this big drop in temperature will have?”

Professor Sterling, who studies the global economy, pushed up his glasses and immediately spoke: “There is no doubt that this big drop in temperature will bring huge economic losses and will also lead to rising global agricultural product prices.”

“How much money will be lost?”

“A conservative estimate is around 2000 billion US dollars.”

The host was even more excited, but he still looked worried: “Professor Sterling, if the price of agricultural products increases, will domestic consumers face more severe living pressures?”

“Yes, I estimate that global agricultural product prices will increase by at least 50% to 150%.”

The host’s face became increasingly serious, and he said angrily, “This major cooling event is definitely a conspiracy. Seris is deliberately destroying the stability of the global climate and then profiting from it. It is also to coerce other regions. We cannot tolerate such evil behavior.”

Obviously, the agricultural systems in North America and Western Europe have been severely affected by this major cooling event, making many behind-the-scenes interest groups uneasy.

On the one hand, they mobilized the power of the news media to throw mud and divert conflicts on the global Internet; on the other hand, they took advantage of the disaster by operating the financial system.

And after these news came out everywhere.

Although Seris’ products were boycotted to a certain extent, the real impact was that many ordinary people began to rush to supermarkets and stores in groups to buy food.

However, the four major grain traders and other European and American agricultural companies and food companies have no intention of stabilizing food prices. Instead, they are adding fuel to the fire, deliberately limiting sales and artificially creating a demand gap.

Soon, agricultural product markets, supermarkets, and stores in Europe and the United States were packed with hordes of panicked consumers, as if it were a holiday, and all kinds of food on the shelves were sold out.

The prices of these foods have almost doubled compared to last month.

This panic spread and fermented further as the shelves were cleared out.

This caused the prices of wheat, corn, soybeans, oats, rice, cassava and sugar to soar in the international market.

It’s not just the futures market that is skyrocketing; prices in the physical trading market are also soaring.

However, this price fluctuation was obviously suppressed in East Asia.

…

Magic City.

Lv Weibin, who came on behalf of Hailufeng Company, held a food security symposium with large domestic agricultural companies such as COFCO Group, China National Grain and Oils Corporation, Beidahuang Group, Shounong Group, and New Hope Group.

He Jiakang, chairman of China National Grain and Oils Corporation, who also took office last year, said calmly: “The domestic grain reserves are sufficient, so don’t worry too much.”

“We naturally trust the reserves of Sinograin.”

Those present are all domestic agricultural giants, and they actually know very well how much grain reserves there are in the country.

Wang Yafu, Chairman of COFCO Group, said with a smile: “This year, the planting area of ​​Xiandou soybeans in southern China has increased by nearly 6000 million mu, but these soybean varieties in southern China are Xiandou No. 4, which was just launched by Hailufeng this year.”

The so-called Senzu Bean No. 4 is different from the previous three Senzu Bean varieties. The core of this variety is low protein, low fat and high starch.

That’s right, this variety is a high-starch type of Senzu soybean.

This variety was actually developed by Jiang Miao a long time ago, but he did not pay much attention to it before. It was not until he discovered that there was overcapacity in domestic plant protein and vegetable oil production that he remembered this variety and started to promote it.

仙豆4号的成熟干燥大豆，其蛋白质含量为9.4%、油脂含量为5.5%、水含量3%、纤维素和半纤维素含量14%，只剩下的都是淀粉、多糖、低聚糖和其他矿物质。

The average yield per mu can reach about 420 kilograms.

Currently, 6000 million mu of land has been promoted for planting in the southern region.

This type of soybean has been modified and has lost many of its characteristics. For example, eating too much soybean can easily lead to intestinal bloating, but this type of soybean will not.

Therefore, this variety of soybeans can be eaten directly as food, and due to the high starch content, it tastes similar to chickpeas.

However, its fat and protein content is still relatively high. It is better as a dietary supplement to rice, which can make the nutrients of rice more balanced. At the same time, when necessary, it can replace part of the intake of animal protein and animal fat.

Of course, Senzu Bean No. 4 is actually a grain crop with very comprehensive nutritional components. If an emergency occurs, you can rely solely on this kind of food to meet your daily survival needs without eating vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk, and grains.

Therefore, in addition to being a supplementary food for humans, Senzu Bean No. 4 can also be used as a raw material for feed for livestock and poultry.

At present, many mountain terraces and the Huaihe River Basin in the south are the main planting areas of Xiandou No. 4. The area of ​​Xiandou planted in the Huaihe River Basin is very large, currently reaching 4270 million mu, and the main farmland is the farmland that used to plant winter wheat and summer corn.

This is the specialty of the Senzu Bean series, which is mixed planting with other crops or rotation planting.

In the meeting room, everyone discussed their respective planting areas, planting categories, and agricultural product reserves, and conducted a relatively comprehensive reconciliation.

Although the data of small enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises are not calculated, the part they hold has actually played a decisive role.

Wang Yafu of COFCO Group shared the data he had collected internally with everyone: “…Based on the feedback from North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and other regions, although extreme weather has caused great losses, the global production capacity of grain, sugar and other products is still relatively sufficient.”

Lu Weibin sneered: “Natural disasters are just a small matter, man-made disasters are the key. Agricultural capital and financial capital in Europe and the United States are the culprits for this global agricultural product price surge.”

He then looked at Xue Hua, the chairman of Haida Group: “Mr. Xue, how is your company’s imported soybeans and corn?”

“We all purchase from COFCO’s branch in South America. The prices are similar to those in China and have not increased much.” Xue Hua is obviously wary of the four major grain traders.

The chairman of another agricultural company frowned and asked: “Are we going to release production capacity to the world now?”

Wang Yafu shook his head. “It’s useless. Interest groups in Europe and the United States will not allow our agricultural products to enter their markets. However, we can consider trying to win over those regions that are short of food, such as West Asia and North Africa. If they are willing to sell their mineral resources, we can sell them a batch of reserve grain at a low price.”

“Direct barter?”

“What else? Are you going to collect the green paper?”

“You must be joking. I don’t want to accept the green paper. What if Amelica goes crazy and freezes the funds directly? That would be the end of me.”

The vice president of an agricultural company was distressed: “Barter is not a long-term solution! How is Huayuan’s internationalization progressing?”

“It’s OK. It now accounts for 11.6% of global payment currencies, ranking third in the world.”

“That’s not enough. This time we will also do our part to increase the scale of mineral-for-food exchanges and require these regions to use the Chinese Yuan for settlement.”

“no problem.”

As the world’s largest grain, oil, feed and sugar producing region, they have the confidence to say this.

At the same time, as the world’s largest industrial system, it also requires a massive input of mineral resources. Although it is possible to use alternative materials or mine internal resources to reduce external dependence, many mineral resources are non-renewable resources, so it is more cost-effective to import them as much as possible.

Beep… He Jiakang, Chairman of COFCO Group, felt a little embarrassed, but he still stood up and went to the small hall next door to answer the phone.

After a while, he came back smiling.

“What good news has happened to Mr. He?”

He Jiakang did not hide anything: “It is indeed a happy event. Just now, a trading company in Saudi Arabia asked us if we could sell them a batch of flour wheat.”

“Oh? It seems that they want a very large quantity?” Wang Yafu immediately guessed that the purchase volume might be large. After all, if the purchase was a small amount, he would not be qualified to inform management at He Jiakang’s level.

“They intend to sign a long-term agreement to purchase 100 million tonnes of high-quality milling wheat per year.”

“What are Mr. He’s plans?”

He Jiakang expressed his thoughts once: “We can consider selling at a low price, but the prerequisite is that they accept Huayuan settlement and export natural gas and oil to us.”

Wang Yafu suggested: “Since everyone is here today, we can discuss setting up an international trade liaison meeting.”

“Mr. Wang’s suggestion is very good.”

“Indeed, if we fight alone, we will not only suffer internal friction, but will also be easily defeated one by one.”

“I agree.”

Lu Weibin also nodded. Although Hailufeng Company’s international trade was mainly luxury goods, he had no reason to refuse such a thing.

The purpose of this liaison meeting is to provide everyone with a platform for quick communication and avoid everyone working alone.

Just as domestic agricultural giants were holding closed-door meetings.

The international bulk agricultural products futures market and the physical trade market are also experiencing turbulent and dramatic changes.

Traditional grain importing regions such as West Asia and North Africa will obviously not sit idly by when they see the grain futures market prices almost doubling.

At this time, the atmosphere in the Cairo headquarters office of the Egyptian Grain Trading Company, which is responsible for purchasing grain, was extremely solemn.

General Manager Ahmed rubbed his temple and put down the analysis report in his hand: “Omar, what do you think?”

Deputy General Manager Omar is a bearded man with sharp eyes. “There is no shortage of food in the international market. The conflict in Eastern Europe has subsided for more than a year, and now the food supply in Eastern Europe is gradually recovering. It is obvious that the four major grain traders are manipulating the market.”

“Then should we buy directly from Lucia or Kievan Rus?” asked another vice president, Ali.

Omar shook his head. “No, no, the Lucia people are greedy polar bears. They will definitely not sell it to us cheaply when they see the price soaring in the international market.”

Ali looked frustrated: “Are there any other food suppliers in the international market?”

“Yes, and it’s very powerful.” Omar said excitedly.

“Hmm?” Ahmed suddenly realized, “What about Seris?”

Omar nodded and said, “Yes, their agricultural technology has made great progress in recent years. If we are willing to come and buy from them, we will probably be able to buy a batch of food at a low price.”

“But aren’t they the world’s largest food importer? How can they export food to us?” Ali looked confused.

Omar’s eyes were deep. “Ali, you underestimate the Orientals. They import food to maintain a trade balance. Look at the data of international traders in East Asia. The price of food they export to Seres is still the original price. Although they use the excuse that the contract was signed a few years ago, it is undeniable that Seres, the world’s largest market, is not something they can control.”

“But why do they sell food to us at such a low price?”

Omar threw out an explosive idea: “Of course it’s for the benefit, what if we use Huayuan settlement?”

“Bypassing the US dollar and the euro?”

“if not?”

Ahmed, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up at this moment: “I will report to the higher-ups, hoping that they will agree to our plan to expand the scale of Huayuan settlement, which is also for future consideration.”

“Please, Mr. Ahmed.”

“It is my responsibility.”

Two days later.

Omar and his team flew directly from Cairo to Shanghai. They had already completed internal communication and decided to find a way to obtain Seris wheat at a low price, and it would be best if they could sign a long-term purchasing agreement.

In addition to the Egyptian grain trading company, other West Asian and North African countries that need to import grain have also sent relevant grain purchasing teams.

Obviously they don’t want to be ripped off by the four major grain traders.

Now the only place that can provide large quantities of cheap food is Seris.

In fact, not only these West Asian and North African countries, but also Japan and South Korea are in an extremely tangled state at this time.

They wanted to purchase cheap food but did not want to offend the four major grain traders and America. At the same time, their domestic agricultural associations also opposed importing food.

However, as global food prices soar, their domestic food self-sufficiency rate is only more than 30%, and there is still a huge gap that needs to be imported.

In addition, the economy of Japan and South Korea has not been very good in recent years. They really don’t want to buy grain from the four major grain merchants at high prices. After all, it is not easy to make money now, but money is spent like water.

(End of this chapter)