Chapter 563 Core Industries

If you want to develop farming, you must clarify one issue, which is the main direction of development, which is the so-called core industry of Australasia.

Looking at the whole of Australasia, what are the core industries?

To be honest, Arthur hasn't counted them in detail yet. After all, Australasia's resources are too rich, and its various industries are not inferior to those of other countries. It can be considered a balanced development at present.

After occupying the Persian Gulf territories, Australasia had almost no shortcomings in mineral resources and energy.

If we have to talk about a flaw, it may be the water resource problem in the Australian continent.

Water shortage is a common problem in Australia now and in future generations, and it is also the biggest reason limiting the development of Australasia.

People's lives require large amounts of drinking water, agriculture and animal husbandry also require irrigation water, and industry also requires industrial water. This is a burden on Australasia's current water reserves.

Although the government enacted relevant laws to protect water resources more than ten years ago, there has been little improvement in the water shortage environment throughout Australia.

The good news is that with the large-scale construction of water conservancy projects and the use of a large number of reservoirs to store enough water resources, it is still no problem to meet the water needs of all residents in Australia.

And the current situation is still better than that of future generations 100 years from now.

Desertification has not yet spread in some areas, such as the Murray River Basin, and is still worth saving.

But the great desert in Western Australia cannot be changed, which has made nearly half of the more than 7 million square kilometers of land in Australia uninhabitable.

But in any case, the current situation in Australasia is much better than that of Australia in later generations, and the water resources and land area that can be used are much more.

According to government statistics and estimates, the current water resources in Australia are basically sufficient until the population reaches 40 million.

A population of 40 million is a gap for the entire Australasia, and the current population is only over 23.8 million.

If we only count the population of Australia, there are only about 17 million people. It is impossible to reach the red line of 40 million in a short time.

This also means that before the population of Australia reaches 40 million, the North-South Water Diversion Project in New Guinea planned by Arthur can even start construction.

As long as New Guinea's water resources can be mobilized, not only can the water crisis in Australia be completely alleviated, but at least a large part of it can be solved.

The protection of the Murray and Darling rivers can also improve the water resources situation of the entire Murray and Darling river basins.

Regarding the solution to the problem of water resources, relevant experts are also promoting a relatively bold proposal, which is to dredge Lake Eyre and the Great Australian Bight so that seawater can be poured into Lake Eyre to improve the ecological environment around Lake Eyre.

In this way, not only the Murray River Basin, but also the entire Great Artesian Basin may become developable land in Australasia.

This is equivalent to millions more square kilometers of land. Australasia can even cancel all expansion plans and focus on developing the local area in the next 20 to 30 years.

Speaking of this proposal, we have to mention Lake Eyre, the largest inland lake in Australasia.

Lake Eyre is a famous seasonal lake in Australasia and is rarely filled with rain.

The reduction of Lake Eyre's water resources is also an important cause of desertification in the Great Artesian Basin. As the most important lake in central and southern Australia, if Lake Eyre has sufficient water resources, it will greatly improve the nearby geographical environment.

Because this is a saltwater lake, and Lake Eyre is 15 meters below sea level, it is entirely feasible to use canals to connect the Great Australian Bight and Lake Eyre.

Although Lake Eyre is hundreds of kilometers away from the coast, the job is not as difficult as imagined.

First of all, there are Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner to the south of Lake Eyre. If these two lakes can be connected, the distance will be shortened by more than half.

Apart from these lakes, the actual distance required to open the canal is even less than 150 kilometers. The cost of such a project is completely affordable by the government, and the changes to the Australian region will be huge.

By diverting water from the north to the south and adding the Grand Canal project, the water resources situation in central Australia will be greatly improved, and it will truly become a supercontinent that can accommodate a population of 200 million.

Arthur was still very interested in the canal project proposed by some experts between Lake Eyre and the Great Australian Bight.

However, this still requires relevant geographical survey personnel to check whether the project can be completed. Only when all preparations are made can the Grand Canal project be started.

Compared with the North-South Water Diversion Project, which requires submarine pipeline technology, Australasia can currently build the Grand Canal alone, and it can even start construction as soon as possible if conditions permit.

Faced with this project that has the potential to improve Australia's water resources, Arthur said it was impossible not to be tempted.

It was at Arthur's urging that a geographical survey team has been assembled. They will survey within half a year whether the Grand Canal project from North Lake Eyre to the Great Australian Bight is feasible, and provide a definite answer in one , to decide whether the government will launch the Grand Canal project.

Water resources are the lifeblood of the current development of Australasia. If the water resources problem can be solved, it will seem to open up the two channels of Ren and Du for the development of Australasia.

This also means that Australasia, which has improved its water resources, truly has the potential to compete with other countries and can pursue its dominance after World War II.

Talking back to Australasia's core industries, the first thing that comes to mind is the world-renowned livestock industry.

This is no joke. Australasia’s livestock industry cannot be said to be the most developed, but it is definitely among the best in the world.

As the largest meat exporter, Australasia's beef and mutton quality is world-renowned, and it even has the reputation of being the pasture of the earth.

In order to encourage the development of the livestock industry in Australasia, the government's investment is not small.

The first is to reduce taxes on livestock pastures and provide certain assistance. Including but not limited to providing free animal medical assistance, researching unified and effective animal feed, improving cattle and sheep breeds, etc.

With the control of the state and the leadership of the royal family, Australasia has nothing to do in the livestock industry, just let it develop freely.

In addition to animal husbandry, agriculture is also one of the pillar industries currently being vigorously developed in Australasia.

Although Australasia's agricultural output was not high before, after more than ten years of development, it has already become one of the famous grain exporters.

Although the output is not as good as that of some European powers, including the United Kingdom, fortunately, Australasia has a relatively small population and does not consume much food.

The grain output of the entire Asia has reached 20.14 million tons, and the total amount of grain exported to the outside world has reached more than 5 million tons. The income from grain trade alone has made a large number of agricultural people smile.

Apart from this, are there any other core industries in Australasia?

In terms of industry, its foundation is not as good as that of established powers like the United Kingdom, and its scale is not as large as that of emerging powers like the United States. Among the great powers, it can only be regarded as middle-to-upper-class, not a core industry.

The military industry is developing well, but there are a large number of weapons and equipment that are not suitable to be taken out now, let alone used as a pillar industry.

Due to population limitations, Australasia's desire to catch up with the United States will not be achieved in a short time.

At least until the population is less than 100 million and the United States has not experienced a major weakening, it is unrealistic to surpass the United States.

Generally speaking, the only core industries that have advantages in the world are animal husbandry, agriculture and manufacturing (automobiles).

This is an industry in which Australasia has an advantage. We must at least maintain our advantage and strive to create gaps in these industries and create a cliff-like lead.

Perhaps the best realized of these are animal husbandry and automobile manufacturing.

To this end, Arthur specifically asked the government to formulate policies in the development plan to encourage animal husbandry, agriculture and manufacturing, and to expand the scale of these three industries as much as possible.

The manufacturing industry is not limited to automobiles, but also includes various industrial products. Australasia can still compete.

The development of animal husbandry and agriculture must encourage more people to engage in the industry. This matter can be easily solved. The best way is to let people see the income brought by engaging in animal husbandry and agriculture.

According to government statistics, the agricultural and animal husbandry population in Australasia is about seven million, accounting for nearly one-third of the total population.

The current size of the agricultural population has been further reduced due to agricultural mechanization.

However, because animal husbandry is more complex and requires proper care of animals, there is no machine that can replace the labor of animal husbandry.

However, because of Australasia's reputation for beef and mutton, the income from animal husbandry exceeds that of agriculture.

According to the data, the per capita income of the agricultural population in Australasia has exceeded A$60 in the fifth industry.

Although ranchers take most of the income, ranch employees still have no problem getting salaries at the per capita income level. This is why the livestock industry in Australasia has developed so hugely.

Of course, more people are choosing to create their own ranches, which has resulted in an overwhelming number of small and medium-sized ranches in Australasia, and the total number of cattle and sheep raised is even immeasurable.

Since 1850, Australia has been responsible for more than half of the British Empire's wool imports, and currently accounts for more than 80% of the total wool imports into the UK.

As a country known as sitting on a sheep's back, Australasia currently raises more than 200 million cattle and sheep. Even if it exports a large amount of beef and mutton every year, it still cannot resist the crazy growth in the number of cattle and sheep.

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