0003230
G.F. 323
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12
50.
Dried and Salted Fish Some 85% of the salt fish imported comes from China. The average monthly consumption is some 550 tons of Which 100 tons are produced locally for human-consumption and another 100 tons made up of trash fish for poultry feed and fertiliser. Stocks are mainly held by retailers and the quantity is not known.
51.
Edible Oils The most common cooking edible oil in the retailer market is the so-called groundnut oil which is generally a mixture of rape seed oil, genuine groundnut oil and soya-bean oil. During 1967 the average consumption of edible oils amounted to some 1,600 tons of rapeseed oil, 880 tons of groundnut oil and 350 tons of soya-bean oil each month.
52.
Rapeseed oil is much cheaper than groundnut oil and is imported as a substitute for the latter. China supplies over 70% of the total imports, with Japan supplying the rest. Adequate quantities could be obtained from Japan but recent quotations are about 20% highor than those for Chinese oil. The min sources of supply of groundnut oil at present are South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and China. In addition, some groundnut oil is being produced locally from imported groundnuts. Soya-bean oil is mainly imported from Japan and Formosa. Local requirements for edible oils are only marginal to world supplies and it should not be difficult to arrange supplies from alternative sources such as Japan, America and West and South Africa. However, these supplies would take time to arrange and ship to Hong Kong and would undoubtedly be more expensive,
53:
Stocks during the period May to August vore extremely low but have increased since September. This temporary shortage wog probably due to transportation difficulties in China. Substantial quantities are now arriving and there is no fear of any immediate shortage.
1
54.
Sugar About 66% of the sugar imported comes from China. Although much of this is described as refined, it has to be further refined in Hong Kong. The average monthly consumption of refined sugar is 5,000 tons. The capacity of the local refinery is some 1,000 tons of raw sugar a month and slightly more semi-refined sugar or some two- fifths of the local consumption. The refinery normally holds about six weeks' supply of sugar.
55.
Milk The average monthly consumption of all types of imported tinned milk is 1,500 tons of which only a small proportion comes from China. The average commercial stock held in godowns is just under 2,000 tons. It is considered that this reserve is ample and alternative sources for supplies from China would easily be found. Production of fresh milk in Hong Kong is just over an average of 100,000 gallons a month but this is seasonal with peak production in carly summer. All fresh milk produced locally is consumed as liquid milk and is considered a luxury food.
56.
Flour Almost the entire requirement of wheat imports comes from countries which are signatories to the International Wheat Agreement. The consumption of wheat is smill and flour is not an important item of local diet; but consumption is increasing and it would assume greater importance in prepared forms, e.g. noodles, and
CONFIDENTIAL
bread