HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1953
during the Japanese occupation of the Colony and practically all orchards were ruined by cutting out or neglect. Fruit growing is being restored and the citrus industry is capable of expansion to meet the steady demand of a large market. On land unsuited to rice other crops such as sugar cane and groundnuts may be grown and during the winter a large quan- tity of sweet potatoes are produced for pig food.
With the ban on the export of Chinese products to the American market local farmers have developed a few export crops such as water chestnuts and prepared vegetable and fruit products. In terms of available land area and the increasing demand of a large local population for home grown foods, there are obvious limits to such developments. This new business has, however, brought ready cash to the rural areas and broadened the economy of subsistence farming.
Rice. This is the staple food of the Chinese and has been grown by settlers from early times. The Chinese are adept at the cultivation of this crop and varieties and farming techniques have been evolved to conform with the local environment. Practically all the rent of farm land is paid in terms of paddy amounting to about 1,600 lbs. of paddy per acre per annum, or about 40% of the total annual yield from the two crops. Much higher yields are obtained in more favoured areas by the use of selected seed of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Fields dependent on rain, and swamps irrigated with brackish water may produce only one crop of rice annually; irrigated fields yield two crops each year. Latest estimates show that about 23,000 short tons of milled rice are grown annually in the New Territories. This represents about one month's supply of the total annual consumption of the Colony.
Vegetables. It is estimated that vegetable farmers and rice farmers who crop vegetables following the second rice harvest produce about three fifths of the Colony's vegetable require-
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