position is different. There are no large estates financed by foreign capital, except the Dairy Farm on the Island, and the bulk of the arable land is devoted to food crops, namely rice and vegetables.
In the life of the poor Chinese, comprising the bulk of the population, the first factor is rice, which is mainly imported; the second firewood, again almost entirely imported; and the third vegetables. Before the war probably four-fifths of the vegetables consumed in the Colony were imported. Those responsible for planning the new department considered that if the first object of the department were to increase vegetable production both in quantity and quality, to facilitate its collec- tion, marketing and sale and to keep the price low, then the people would benefit greatly. This would be reflected in better physique, a smaller incidence of malnutritional diseases, and in greater contentment of both adults and children.
The problem was simple. It consisted of supplying an efficient market service, of augmenting the supply of fertilizer, and of supplying seeds of proved strains of vegetables. Parallel to these activities it was necessary that there should be estab- lished seed trial and demonstration grounds and the means of close and friendly contact with the villagers. As pig-raising is complementary to vegetable production, a piggery must be started with good strains of cross-bred boars on stud, where experiments could be carried out in breeding cross-bred pork pigs acceptable to the Chinese farmer.
Wholesale Vegetable Market.
A Wholesale Vegetable Market was opened in Kowloon in mid-September, 1946. There is no need to include a detailed account of the workings of this Market. Its success has been due in no small measure to the provision of adequate transport, and prompt payment to the farmer. A summary of the sales for 1947 is given in the table below. At the end of the year three-quarters or more of the vegetables eaten at that time in Kowloon were grown in the New Territories.
Local
Imported
Total
Weight
Piculs
Tons
326,374 19,380
128,666 7,640
455,040
27,020
Value
Dollars
Pounds
$ 5,269,385 £,329,446
$ 2,079,305 £ 129,956
$ 7,348,690
£ 459,402
50