Chapter 492
Agriculture accounted for too large a share of the economy. The entire industrial chain employed well over ten million people. If they failed to withstand the shock, Austria's economy would suffer a devastating blow.
Despite the colonies serving as a floodway, the homeland remained the core. It was still far too early to shift away from the primary sector. Before the invention of chemical fertilizers, Austria's agricultural boom would not come to an end.
Pressed by reality, Franz could only push livestock farming forward ahead of schedule, artificially increasing grain consumption.
The reason it was ahead of schedule was mainly that the people's income levels had not yet risen enough, and market demand for meat products remained limited.
According to the original plan, Franz had intended to develop livestock farming after 1875. This had been determined based on the economic development of European countries.
Those who studied economics were accustomed to treating 1870 to 1890 as a single cycle, mainly because the Second Industrial Revolution broke out. During this period, the economies of Europe and America grew at breakneck speed, and people's incomes rose substantially as well.
Rising incomes also brought higher consumption levels. According to data analyzed by economic experts, five years from now would be the golden age for promoting animal husbandry.
Limited by the era, there was no need to worry about competition from Argentine, Canadian, or Australian beef and mutton—at least not in the fresh meat market.
Refrigeration technology was not yet good enough. To supply fresh meat to Europe, livestock had to be shipped alive.
Transporting living cattle and sheep from thousands of miles away to the European Continent was no easy matter. The slightest mishap at sea could result in catastrophic losses.
Once those transportation costs were spread out, even if the