Agricultural input operators must put integrity first and learn to run their business with a conscience

In the news item "Shandong agricultural input spot checks in the first half of 2014: 19 brands of fertilizer failed," a list of 19 brands of substandard fertilizer was published, and the Shandong Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce stated that for agricultural inputs that failed spot checks, local industry and commerce authorities had been arranged to immediately investigate and deal with the business units selling substandard agricultural inputs in accordance with the law, and to supervise operators within their jurisdictions to stop selling goods of the same trademark and the same specification and model as those on the substandard list. In this regard, an expert from the China Agricultural Means of Production Circulation Association told this writer: according to the division of regulatory functions, that is how it was handled.

With the opening up of the agricultural input market, a diversified agricultural input business pattern has gradually taken shape across the country, with business entities including agricultural input supply and marketing, seed stations, plant protection departments, soil and fertilizer stations, the postal system, agricultural input chains, and individuals. From exclusive sales by each township at the beginning to at least 3 per township at present, this does not even include village-level stores. This shows that the threshold for entering the agricultural input sales industry is very low, but the agricultural input industry is also a very special industry. The quality of agricultural inputs directly affects food security and the quality and safety of agricultural products, and is closely related to the vital interests of the vast number of farmers and consumers.

Therefore, the agricultural input industry is an industry of conscience, and agricultural input operators must learn to "run" their conscience.

"Running" a conscience: it can fill the gaps in regulation

Requiring agricultural input operators to have a conscience is due to the drawbacks in the current division of agricultural input regulatory functions that affect regulatory effectiveness. The departments regulating agricultural inputs are divided as follows: the agricultural department is the industry regulatory department for agricultural inputs, and also has law enforcement powers; the quality inspection department is responsible for supervising the quality of goods in the production sector; the industry and commerce department is responsible for supervising the quality of goods in circulation. Such a division of responsibilities appears clear, but in reality has many drawbacks and can easily cause "interruptions" in the law enforcement process. Whether it is the agricultural department or the industry and commerce and quality inspection departments, due to limitations on law enforcement powers, none can investigate a case thoroughly to the end, often missing the best opportunity to handle the case. Such a division of responsibilities is the fundamental reason for the existence of multiple law enforcement agencies, repeated law enforcement, and weak law enforcement at the grassroots level. The reason the above expert said this is based on the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Agricultural Means of Production Market" issued by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which stipulates: agricultural input operators shall be responsible for the product quality of the agricultural inputs they sell, establish and improve internal product quality management systems, and if relevant provisions are violated, the administrative department for industry and commerce shall order correction and impose a fine of 1,000 yuan or more but 10,000 yuan or less. This regulatory drawback may gradually be resolved as the pace of national reform accelerates, but the current regulatory mechanism cannot fundamentally eliminate counterfeit and inferior agricultural input products, which makes it even more necessary for agricultural input producers and operators to hold the bottom line of conscience and morality.

"Running" a conscience: let farmers use agricultural inputs they can trust

Because farmers' educational levels are not high, most farmers have limited understanding of the performance of various agricultural input products after all, and their knowledge and information are relatively scarce. Most of the information they obtain is rather one-sided and incomplete. They do not know much about agricultural input knowledge such as fertilizers and pesticides, and know very little about the brands and quality of agricultural input products. Most people, especially older people, are rather stubborn, deeply influenced by traditional concepts, have a serious herd mentality, and also seek cheap prices. When purchasing agricultural inputs, many people do not know where to start in the face of numerous varieties, so they have no choice but to follow capable people in buying, or trust the introductions of dealers; some people choose to buy from friends, acquaintances, or agricultural input stores where they have bought before. They fear that if they buy poorly once, it will affect a whole year's harvest. Most people cannot distinguish genuine from fake and do not understand identification methods. For this reason, agricultural input dealers should, based on local actual conditions, mainly choose to act as agents and sell several companies' series of pesticide and fertilizer products suited to local planting characteristics and farmers' consumption levels as their main products, eliminate counterfeit and inferior products, not sell products with obviously excessively low prices and no quality guarantee, and not sell products whose prices exceed local farmers' consumption levels.

Today, when genuine and fake agricultural input products are mixed together and varieties are numerous, agricultural input dealers need to guard the first pass for farmers, guide farmers to use products that are truly suitable for them, and build a good first line of defense for the safety of agricultural products.

"Running" a conscience: with the right methods, you can still make money

Requiring agricultural input producers and operators not to sell counterfeit and inferior agricultural input products is the moral bottom line, but requiring every operator to be a living Lei Feng and not pursue economic benefits is also unrealistic. After all, it is not easy for farmers to farm, most farmers lack technical knowledge, and they do not understand products. Therefore, in the agricultural input business, one must do business with a conscience to be welcomed by ordinary people. Moreover, doing business with a conscience and pursuing profit are not contradictory; as long as business methods are appropriate, one can still make money.

First, operators should choose to sell products that are well suited to the market. In light of local crop planting conditions, economic development conditions, and farmers' characteristics in using fertilizer and pesticides, they should choose to sell products well suited to the market, and should choose products with prominent functions, reliable quality, moderate prices, high cost performance, and strong complementarity, combining them into their own main products. They should also frequently go deep into farming households to visit and investigate, grasp information on agricultural input products welcomed by farmers, and then continuously enrich the resources of main products according to market changes. Only by mastering products well suited to the market and reasonably adjusting the product structure can one have the initiative and voice in the market. Only when operators are familiar with farmers' consumption levels and habits, and have good sales strategies and products well suited to the market, will sales volume certainly rise.

Second, one must truly treat farmers well and have a grateful heart. As an agricultural input operator, one must understand in one's heart that farmers are our food and clothing parents, and every bit of profit we earn is the hard-earned money farmers have earned through bitter toil. Therefore, one should always harbor gratitude, and recognize that treating farmers well is treating oneself well. At the same time, one should sincerely make friends with farmers, and on the basis of steadily doing a good job in agrochemical services in ordinary times, do one's utmost to help farmers in difficulty. Farmers are the most simple and also the most practical; after receiving your help or assistance, they will remember you in their hearts, and when choosing agricultural input products they will certainly think of you, and will also recommend your products to the relatives and friends around them, helping you turn potential customers into actual customers.

Therefore, "serving agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" and "providing good services for farmers" are not merely slogans. As an agricultural input operator, if one wants to become an adviser and guide for farmers in purchasing agricultural inputs, one needs a conscience that truly serves farmers and a sense of responsibility to bravely shoulder social responsibility.