PRODUCTION
79
market in Yaumati, Kowloon. To
Kowloon. To overcome transport difficulties, the Organization established collecting centres throughout the New Territories. From these centres, and from 16 vegetable marketing cooperative societies operated by farmers themselves, vegetables are conveyed to market by a fleet of diesel lorries owned by the Organization, and originally purchased with the assistance of loans from Colonial Develop- ment and Welfare.
With the exception of certain services provided by the cooperative societies for their members, the Organization's staff is responsible for the handling of all vegetables intended for sale at the market from their receipt at collecting centres, and for the return of the proceeds of sales to the same centres, where farmers may collect them at their convenience. For all services given by the Organization a commission of 10% of the sale price is charged. In the case of vegetables marketed through cooperative societies, however, 30% of this com- mission is refunded to each society, in payment for those services which they have provided, and which would otherwise have been the responsibility of the Organization.
The introduction of orderly marketing facilities, together with the provision of loans and the supply of cheap fertilizer, has been an important factor in stimulating vegetable pro- duction. To this should be added that among the refugees who have entered the Colony since the war have been significant numbers of vegetable-growers from nearby districts of Kwangtung. A combination of these two features probably gives the answer to the satisfactory results obtained.
The weights and values of vegetables handled by the Organization over the past five years are as follows:
Locally-Produced
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
Imported
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
Piculs Tons Value ($)
668,225 39,775 14,309,426
773,517 46,043 13,326,294
846,739 50,401 15,565,307 1,019,692 60,696 18,259,193 1,117,629 66,526 19,939,762
Piculs Tons Value ($) 229,130 13,639 4,651,244 202,786 12,071 3,755,809 247,359 14,724 4,297,299 193,479 11,517 4,266,494 105,656
6,289 2,164,460