66
HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
of towns will be lost to agriculture. The land policy of the New Territories Administration restricts the process as far as is reasonably possible, but each year's figures of agricul- tural acreage emphasize the struggle between the demands of town and country.
During 1955 it is estimated that the total area under cultivation remained unchanged, but this was only achieved because the decreases in cultivated land near towns were statistically compensated for by the re-opening of neglected land on hills and in less accessible areas. It cannot be expected that this balance will be maintained indefinitely.
Indispensable adjuncts to the agricultural development of neglected land are improved communications and irriga- tion. Here the Government is receiving considerable assist- ance from Colonial Development and Welfare Funds (see Review of the Year), and from the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association. The parts of the New Territories particu- larly in need are the Shataukok and Saikung regions, and Lantao Island.
There is a Rural Development Committee, appointed by the Governor in June 1954, with official and unofficial mem- bers, under the chairmanship of the District Commissioner, New Territories. Its duties are to advise the Government on all matters relating to New Territories development, in particular to the extension of agricultural credit and the preparation of Colonial Development and Welfare schemes.
AGRICULTURE
The annual production of milled rice in the New Terri- tories is estimated at 17,680 metric tons, about enough to feed the whole population of the Colony for a month. The next largest crop is vegetables, some production figures of which are given below, under Marketing. It is estimated that the Colony produces about 65% of all the vegetables it consumes. Sweet potatoes are the most important winter crop, and small quantities of sugar-cane, groundnuts and millet are also grown in season. There is a certain amount of fruit-growing, the principal fruit trees being listed in the Flora section of the chapter on Geography and Climate.