Chapter 150 Genetically Modified Seeds on the Market
Chubanov was not afraid of these prosecutors who came to investigate, because he was careful and confident that he had left nothing to handle. As early as when he was the Minister of Internal Affairs, under the persuasion of Seryosha, he had already taken care of all his accounts, and since leaving the ministerial leadership position, Cherbanov has gradually lived a semi-retired life. He now has an endless amount of money in his Swiss bank account, and in addition to that, he also has a nominal job at the Mediterranean Trading Company, which also brings him a lot of income every month. He has long stopped accepting bribes, and besides, how many years have passed since Brezhnev died, Chubanov has to have someone give him even if he wants to receive gifts.
Immediately after sending away the prosecutors from Moscow, Chubanov called Seryosha and told him about it. Seryosha was a little surprised when he heard this, he didn't expect Ligachev to move so quickly. So he said to Chubanov on the phone: "Don't worry, but you'd better go back to Moscow, don't go there during this time, and don't take the initiative to meet anyone, if anyone dares to touch you, the old courtiers left by Brezhnev will not agree......"
Seryosha comforted Chubanov on the phone, after ending the call. Seryosha made another call to the KGB and asked them to keep an eye out for who Ligachev's men were investigating.
Seryosha didn't expect Ligachev's hand, but Seryosha didn't believe that Ligachev really dared to be as vigorous as Andropov, and he thought that Ligachev was just killing chickens and monkeys.
Because Volkswagen is currently a key cooperation project between the Soviet Union and Western countries, Seryosha has been re-energized by Gorbachev. Everything related to the joint venture automobile factory will be handled quickly. In Seryosha's view, the Soviet Union has not done something so efficiently for a long time. Because the joint venture automobile plant represented the direction of reform, whether it was taxation or management, the Soviet side completely relied on the team sent by the party. However, Seryosha has actually secretly controlled Volkswagen, so these management teams sent from Germany are actually implementing Seryosha's will.
In order to further strengthen the position of Gorgi enterprises in the industry. During this time, Seryosha's various enterprises are using the advantage of capital to expand their strength. Glencore's grain business is now the largest grain company in North America, but Macridge is not satisfied with this, and at his request, Glencore has begun to expand into South Australia, another important grain producing region in the world. After a series of negotiations, Glencore acquired ABB Grains, the largest grain company in Oceania, in Australia, formerly known as the Australian Barley Board, which was created by the Australian Government in 1939. This company has seriously dragged down the Australian government's finances in the face of low global food prices, and has become a burden on the hands of the Australian government. However, this is an opportunity for Glencore, which has been deeply involved in the grain trade for many years.
Macridge handed over Glencore's oil and non-ferrous metals business to his deputy, Green, while he concentrated on the layout of the grain business. Just about a month after Glencore ate ABB grains, the FDA officially approved Monsanto's genetically modified corn to be marketed. At this moment, Griffith had just been sworn in as governor of South Dakota, and the first policy he announced after taking office was to unite with the South Dakota Farmers Association to bid for seed companies, so after Griffith and the Farmers Association's covert operation, Glencore's new product became the biggest winner of the bidding. They took exclusive contracts for the supply of soybean and corn seeds to South Dakota for the following year.
In the United States, non-governmental organizations such as farmers' associations have no less power than the government, they can ask the government to protect prices when food prices are low, and they will also negotiate with suppliers in pesticides, seeds, agricultural machinery, etc., to fight for the best interests of farmers.
Monsanto showed officials of the Farmers Association and South Dakota's Department of Agriculture a miracle of a vast expanse of farmland completely devoid of weeds and only corn and soybeans.
At this time, it was almost harvest time, and the green corn fields were endless, but even if the agricultural experts who came to inspect opened their eyes, there was not a single weed here.
"This ......" the experts were speechless in astonishment, as were the officials of the agricultural department, who were all curious about how this was done.
"Yes, every week, we use planes to spray this field with our glyphosate herbicide, Roundup. As we all know, in addition to the basic growth environment, the most important thing that affects crop yield is grass pests and insect pests, and grass pests have always been the most headache for our farmers because they compete with crops for light, land, water and nutrients. ”
"But your corn and soybeans ......," the expert asked, puzzled.
"Our soybeans and corn are new from Monsanto, genetically modified using molecular biology, and now they are not afraid of glyphosate herbicides. Even if you use Roundup as water, they won't die. In the future, you only need to rent a plane to spray your farmland, and you don't have to think about grass damage at all! Monsanto's staff said confidently.
Everyone present ran into the farmland curiously, broke the immature corn, checked the fullness of the grains inside, and saw that the corn here is growing well, and if the interference of grass damage can be completely eliminated, the yield of this farmland will reach an incredible level.
"This is a masterpiece of science...... "Several farmers present sighed heartily, they are all croppers who live on the land, and naturally know the value of this achievement. For farmers, yield is everything, and they simply don't think about the impact of GMOs on human health. What's more, Monsanto's seeds have passed the authoritative FDA certification.
In order to increase sales of glyphosate, the flagship product of Glencore's chemical division, Roundup was able to advertise the use of Glencore. This herbicide, although very toxic to humans, is devastating to perennial root weeds. As long as a piece of land is sprayed with excessive glyphosate as required by Monsanto, it will not be a few years before the land can only be planted with Monsanto's genetically modified seeds.