August 19, 1868.
In Berlin, the Hohenzollern Conglomerate reached agreements with several German research and academic institutions.
The Hohenzollern Conglomerate would provide funding and experimental land to establish a specialized institution in East Africa for researching local East African crops and tropical plants—the East African Agricultural Research Institute.
"Professor Anton Perutz, a pleasure working with you!" Ernst said, raising his glass to Professor Anton Perutz.
Professor Anton Perutz drained his glass in one gulp. "All for Germany!"
As a tropical agriculture expert from the German territories, Professor Anton Perutz had lived a thoroughly frustrating life before accepting the Hohenzollern Conglomerate's invitation.
While colleagues from other countries traveled the world, with their own experimental fields and ample funding, Professor Anton Perutz could only conduct his scientific research in a small laboratory in Germany.
Germany depended entirely on imports for tropical crops, while its local nobles cared only about increasing the food output of their own lands.
Germany had a temperate climate to begin with, so naturally all research funding and talent tilted toward crops suited to local growth.
No German nobility had any interest in researching tropical crops, much less investing in a project destined never to turn a profit.
Compared with other domestic disciplines, Germany's research into tropical crops was practically zero, which was the worst possible situation for Professor Anton Perutz.
The emergence of the East African colony changed that. Germans now had a vast colony in the tropics as well.
Moreover, this colony possessed excellent agricultural conditions. To avoid squandering the land's natural gifts, local agricultural research had to be taken seriously.
The East African Agricultural Research Institute had been established to develop East Africa's agricultural potential as fully as possible.
Although East Africa's climate was not uniquely exceptional, the Brazilian Plateau and other regions at the same