The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 157 - 169: The Industrial Core of Borneo

In the following days, Pierre and a dozen subordinates who had rushed over from France and North Africa continued negotiations with the U.S. military.

What were they negotiating?

Naturally, it was about weapons and equipment.

It must be said, the Americans were pretty generous.

At least to a certain extent, with intervention from higher-ups, the U.S. military provided enough weapons and equipment for an entire army. Although Pierre looked down a bit on the M1 rifles and M1 carbines provided by the U.S. Army, who would refuse weapons when offered? We’re talking about fifty or sixty thousand pieces of light and heavy weaponry.

However, the Americans could also be stingy. When it came to artillery, they cut corners. They claimed it was according to U.S. Army organization, but they directly canceled the 155mm howitzers. The M2 105mm howitzers became divisional artillery, and as for regimental artillery, it was the M1A1 75mm mountain guns.

Still, nobody felt uneasy about taking free weapons and equipment.

After finalizing the weapons and equipment, there was still the need to coordinate troop transport and training arrangements upon arrival in the Philippines. These matters were extremely complicated. For this, Pierre even had to set up a special coordination team in Washington to handle these affairs, while he himself returned to New York.

After all, he couldn’t devote all his energy to Washington. There were still other matters to handle in New York. In the coming months—at least until Borneo was liberated—he wouldn’t be able to return to New York.

Moreover, preparations had to be made for Borneo’s upcoming development. After all, with the Third Reich’s demise imminent, tens of thousands of German scientists and engineers would soon be heading to Borneo through various channels. Their expertise had to be fully utilized, which would require corresponding factories, enterprises, and research institutes.

All of this required money!

And a lot of it!

So, the black market business still had to be done. Not only that, but before leaving the United States, he needed to make several more shipments to ensure there would be enough goods to sell to the Gambino family over the next few months.

In fact, if it weren’t for concerns about tariffs and other issues, Pierre had even considered using his own fleet to transport goods.

Thus, Pierre once again traveled to Cuba. But unlike before, in addition to purchasing sugarcane, he made a special trip to his own plantation.

The last few times he’d come to Havana to persuade overseas Chinese to invest in Borneo, Pierre had also made a small investment in Cuba—not really an investment, just rented a plot of land. It wasn’t large, just over a thousand hectares.

"Zhiyuan, are you sure that in a few months these oil palm seedlings can be shipped back to Borneo?"

Song Chengjun had never been able to figure out this young man beside him. He couldn’t grasp how he managed to get sugar out of Cuba, nor could he understand some of his actions.

Like renting such a large piece of land to cultivate these oil palm seedlings.

At the time, Song Chengjun instinctively thought he was just messing around. After all, almost all plantations in Cuba grew sugarcane. Wouldn’t it make more sense to cultivate sugarcane seedlings?

"No problem, two or three months at most," Pierre said, looking at the plantation full of oil palm seedlings before him. "By then, these oil palm seedlings can be sent to Borneo."

"Oil palm? Can oil palm really be useful?" Song Chengjun looked puzzled. In Pierre’s view, this was perfectly normal—very few people in those days knew what oil palm was.

"Mr. Song, don’t underestimate it. This type of palm tree, its fruit can be used to extract oil. Oil palm is the world’s most efficient oil-producing plant. Its oil yield per unit area is higher than coconut, peanut, or soybean. Palm oil has a wide range of uses—not only is it an excellent edible oil, but it’s also suitable for making margarine or cheese, and can be used to produce soap, candles, and lubricants."

As a colonizer, Pierre certainly had his own industrial plans for Borneo. Industry had to be developed, but agriculture was equally important. In addition to the usual rice cultivation and tropical plantations like rubber and sisal, oil palm plantations would be the future focus of Borneo’s agricultural development.

The reasons for choosing oil palm were, first, its high yield—per acre, oil palm produces nine times as much oil as soybeans, five times as much as peanuts, and three times as much as rapeseed. Second, there was huge market demand. After the war, as living standards in Europe and America rose, demand for edible oils would also increase. Compared to other tropical crops like rubber and coffee, oil palm—with its excellent market prospects—was truly a sunrise industry. Even in the 21st century, Southeast Asia’s oil palm industry continues to expand.

Indonesia and Malaysia each produce twenty to thirty million tons annually. If, in the future, Borneo’s palm oil industry could match theirs, this alone could bring in over a billion dollars in foreign exchange every year, providing the funds needed for industrial development.

Therefore, in Borneo’s industrial planning...

In the future, oil palm cultivation will be a key focus—one could even say it will become the core agricultural industry of Borneo.

The reason for choosing to invest in plantations and establish nurseries for cultivating oil palm seedlings in Cuba is, in fact, to take advantage of a time lag. After all, oil palm trees require a certain period before they yield harvests. Initially, seedlings must be raised in nurseries, which typically takes 16 to 18 months. Only after that are they transplanted to plantations, where it takes another 3 to 4 years of growth before the trees begin to bear fruit.

If we were to raise seedlings in Borneo, we would have to wait until after the war. Rather than waiting such a long time, it’s better to start cultivating seedlings in Cuba now, which can save at least a year—this way, we can cut down on costs significantly.

This highlights the biggest drawback of plantation economies: time. It takes at least four years after planting oil palms before seeing any returns. The trees reach their peak yield between 7 and 14 years, after which their productivity gradually declines between years 15 and 18, eventually leading to aging and replacement.

The toughest period is the initial few years. If Borneo plans to bring in immigrants to develop plantations in the future, these newcomers will need to be supported during those first years—a considerable expense. However, compared to factories, plantations offer the fastest returns and require the least technical expertise, making them ideal for absorbing large numbers of immigrants and providing them with much-needed jobs.

For immigrants with little formal education, plantations are undoubtedly the best option. With just a short period of training, immigrants from the homeland can quickly adapt to life and work on the plantations, allowing them to rapidly put down roots in Borneo.

"...In short, the oil palm industry is absolutely a sunrise industry for the future. As for things like sugarcane and rubber, they will eventually be phased out."

Of course, to absorb labor and provide employment, Borneo will also develop other tropical crops like sugarcane and rubber in the future.

But ultimately, oil palm will remain the mainstay.

After all, palm oil is not only an edible oil but also an excellent industrial raw material—something essential for Borneo’s industry.

"I see!"

After Pierre’s explanation, Song Chengjun finally understood his intentions. He did some quick calculations in his mind and said,

"Now that you’ve explained it, I feel reassured."

"Oh?"

As Pierre looked at him in surprise, Song Chengjun smiled and said,

"Actually, when I saw you setting up this nursery, I also rented some land nearby to cultivate oil palm seedlings. I figured that if I ever make it to Borneo, maybe I could get into this business as well."

Although he didn’t really know what oil palm trees were, Song Chengjun had an almost instinctive feeling that this young man’s ventures would never lose money. He might not become fabulously wealthy, but following Pierre’s lead would certainly be profitable.

Little did Song Chengjun know that the decision he made a few months ago would change the fate of the Song family for generations. After all, the oil palm industry was an as-yet-undiscovered "gold mine" of the era. It would only be decades later that palm oil, known as the "King of Oils," would attract worldwide attention.

"Great—so long as you’re willing, Uncle Song," Pierre said with a smile.

He never minded others joining him in business. No matter what Song Chengjun invested in, as long as it was in North Borneo, it would create jobs, and that was what mattered most. Afterward, Pierre and Song Chengjun discussed plantation matters for about half an hour, after which Song Chengjun extended an invitation to dinner at his home. Just as Pierre was about to accept, Song Chengjun casually added, "You can finally try Bingbing’s cooking—she’s been talking about inviting you over for ages." Pierre was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing that his interactions with Song Bing might have been a bit too deliberate—was this an indirect matchmaking attempt?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Pierre instinctively rejected it.

"I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline Miss Song’s kind invitation. I already have other plans tonight. Perhaps I can visit another day."