Farmer Jones, the Coronavirus, and the Logistical 'Path'

In the midst of this Coronavirus....one day, Farmer Jones will have a fan belt break on a particular farm implement that was made in 1972.  He figures fine....he'll walk into the farm store in town and buy a new belt.

There, he talks to Randy (the sales dude), and these belts that he'd typically have....have run out.  The company which marketed them and shipped them?  A Chinese company in Wuhan.  Randy says it's been that way since 2004. 

You ask....well....what's the delay here?  Randy says that a fair number of the Chinese guys at this belt factory are either sick, dead, or have run off because of the disease threat.

You kinda hint to Randy....this ain't going to be something that you can do without.

A day or two passes, and a second item on the farm has broke down.  The replacement part?  You go to the Illinois 'BIG' Farm web-site, and figure you can order it.  They say it's a problem....out of stock, and the replacement items are not being produced in Wuhan as the schedule would work.

A week later, some funny disease starts up with your cattle, and the Vet says you need X....to vaccinate them.  He'd like to help you but he only has one bottle of the stuff left, and you need six of them.  So you ask....where is this produced, and he says China.  Yep, there's a bottleneck now.

So Randy calls up and has said he knows this Peruvian guy who makes generic belts to fit this farm requirement.  The problem is....you need to talk to him on the size and shape. 

The wife knows this Honduran family at church, and you call them up....asking if 'Juan' (their 12-year-old son can chat for you).  They come over, and you call Peru.  Juan spends 20 minutes on the phone describing the size and shape of the belt.....with an acceptable price-tag, and the belt will be flown in by Friday.  Toward the end of this call....the Peruvian says they do 'other' things.   So Juan goes into detail about the second piece of equipment broke, and that guy can build that item as well.

Then Juan mentions the medication issue with the cattle.  The Peruvian asks what type, and that his cousin....who happens to be in the drug cartel business....can remedy a reproduction of this vaccine. 

As the days pass, Juan and the Peruvian guy forge a new relationship.  Juan (12 years old) now starts to conduct daily business out of Peru.  $10 per consultation.  A year later, Juan is making $10,000 per week....with his Peruvian-connection business. 

The drug dealers start to realize that they can reproduce virtually any drug....even cancer drugs, with a little bit of effort, and suddenly the worldwide crisis is over.....compliments of a Peruvian entrepreneur and a 12-year-old kid. 

This is how difficult and how simple this whole crisis may go in the end.