Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 622: A Promise_1

Chapter 622: Chapter 622: A Promise_1

Puding and Gavriil both furrowed their brows, while Rossiyana seemed indifferent, clearly not understanding Wang Ye’s words.

After a pause, Puding whispered, "You mean the military industry? However, even if we could restore it to its heyday, the revenue from arms exports would still be limited."

His point, of course, was legitimate, considering that during the Former Soviet Era, arms exports were a significant part of Russian foreign trade.

Back then, with many "little brothers," they did indeed sell a lot of weapons each year, and they made a decent profit.

But times have changed, and now the Russians have very few "little brothers" left.

They can’t expect Western countries to buy Russian arms, as this is a highly politicized matter.

Whose goods to buy and whose not to buy often involves a lot of political considerations.

That’s why United Aviation Group has become a hot potato, with no one daring to take it over, until fortunately, Wang Ye stepped forward and revived the group company.

Who would have thought that these subsidiaries, once glorious, would fall into their current state?

Had their technologies become obsolete?

No!

It’s just that after the Former Soviet Breakdown, Russia’s international status plummeted, and hardly any countries came to buy their fighter jets!

Puding guessed it was the military industry only because there didn’t seem to be any other industry they could rely on...

But Wang Ye shook his head, frankly saying, "No, don’t count on the military industry for a while. As for the reasons, I don’t think they need much explanation. What I’m talking about is another industry, food!"

The three in the room were taken aback.

Food?

None of them had expected Wang Ye to mention this out of the blue.

"What about food?" Gavriil asked instinctively.

Wang Ye’s expression turned a little serious, "I looked at some data and found that our domestic grain production has been decreasing over the years.

So much so, that we have to import a lot of grain every year, wasting huge amounts of foreign exchange...

Well, I shouldn’t say wasting, after all, people regard food as their heaven, and eating is a basic need.

But don’t you all find it strange?

We have nearly ten percent of the world’s arable land, but our population constitutes less than two percent of the global population!

It doesn’t seem possible for us to be lacking food.

Last year, our total wheat production was just over forty million tons, whereas before the nineties, our wheat production was 110 million tons!

Neither the arable land nor the population has decreased, so why has food production suddenly plummeted so much?

Consider, if the international situation changes and we suddenly can’t buy food, what will happen?"

Puding and Gavriil fell silent, both considering Wang Ye’s words.

Of course, they’re not ignorant about the country’s grain production.

They just hadn’t considered the seriousness of the matter.

Just as Wang Ye said, what would happen if other countries suddenly stopped selling grain to us?

If this had been brought up a few days ago, they might have seen Wang Ye as a fearmongerer, not believing such a situation could occur.

But based on some news they’ve received recently, it seems like the situation is quite possible...

Both of them still remember a "prediction" Wang Ye made before, that a certain organization would continue to expand to the east!

At that time, both of them found it hard to believe.

But recently, according to the information they got, it seems highly likely that this will happen!

If that’s the case, could Wang Ye’s "prediction" today also come true?

Especially with such a matter, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

If you’re not prepared when others suddenly lampoon you, the consequences are unimaginable!

...

Gavriil was the first to speak, saying seriously, "This situation... should not be possible, right? If it really comes to that, it would essentially be an act of war!"

Puding shook his head, having a broader perspective on this issue than Gavriil.

He didn’t negate Wang Ye’s speculation, but rather asked, "Agriculture is indeed a very important matter, which might seem unimportant during peaceful times and international grain prices are not high. But you’re right; this is the most critical strategic resource! For modern countries, energy is essential, but the importance of food has been overlooked by many. What are your plans for this?"

Wang Ye said seriously, "It’s quite simple, really. We just need to take this matter seriously from top to bottom. We already own the most arable land in the world, so we should also become the world’s largest grain producer. My goal is to make our country’s food exports the highest in the global market in ten years!"

Farming is not high-tech; the "hardware" is key.

By "hardware", of course, I mean arable land suitable for cultivation.

As long as there is enough land and superior varieties are chosen, it’s hard not to have high yields.

Fortunately, Russia has the largest land area in the world, and also the largest arable area. In the Far East, there are large stretches of fertile black soil, which is perfect for growing crops.

As long as this issue is taken seriously, it won’t be hard to increase our output.

Puding nodded slightly. He turned to Gavriil and said, "This issue must be taken seriously. Stay in touch with Misha and come up with an agricultural improvement plan as soon as possible. Ten years is too long; we must be self-sufficient in three years and have the highest global grain exports in six years! As long as you can achieve this goal, just mention any resources and policies you need!"

These words weren’t just for Gavriil, but also for Wang Ye.

Clearly, he was now taking this matter very seriously.

Although Gavriil didn’t fully understand, he felt that if Puding was attaching great importance to it, there must be good reason.

He nodded simply, "Alright, after dinner, Misha and I will discuss this issue again."

......

After discussing the work, Puding made an assessment.

"Having heard your thoughts, I feel that the choice of Chairman for the Economic Committee was absolutely correct!

In fact, you should’ve been assigned to the role long ago. Grezlov had been in the position for a very long time, but never grasped the central tenets of the job. I don’t know what he’s busy with every day.

I can frankly say that if you manage to get both the industry and agriculture sectors running well, the next Speaker of the Duma will be you!

Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Whether or not you become the Speaker will ultimately depend on whether or not the congressmen vote for you, huh..."

Wang Ye certainly didn’t dare to comment on his evaluation of Grezlov.

After all, he still needed to "earn his keep" under Grezlov, who was his direct superior.

But about the matter of becoming Speaker, despite Puding mentioning it jokingly, does it not also imply a promise...