Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
Agricultural Industry
The agricultural industry focuses mainly on producing quality fresh food crops through intensive land use. Less than 1 per cent of New Territories land, where most farming is done, is used for growing crops, comprising mainly vegetables and cut flowers, with a combined output in 2016 valued at about $331 million. Pigs and poultry are the principal food animals reared. Locally reared pigs and poultry, including chickens and eggs, yielded earnings of about $313 million and about $400 million respectively.
The AFCD encourages crop farmers to tap niche markets and sharpen their competitiveness by cultivating safe and quality vegetables. To promote organic farming, the department provides organic farming support to 297 farms occupying 106.8 hectares of land. It also promotes the use of greenhouse technology for intensive high-value crop production. During 2016, three improved varieties of vegetable, namely the broad-shoulder bitter gourd, 'Seven Star' hairy gourd and 'Yanbu' autumn eggplant, were introduced to farmers for cultivation.
The department manages a voluntary Accredited Farm Scheme jointly with a statutory body, the Vegetable Marketing Organisation (VMO), to provide a stable supply of high-quality and safe vegetables. A total of 312 farms in Hong Kong, Guangdong Province and Ningxia Autonomous Region, spreading over 3,073 hectares of land, are accredited under the scheme.
Leisure farms are popular places for recreation. The department, in collaboration with the agricultural sector, provides information on these farms through its annual publication, A Guide to Hong Kong Leisure Farms, and its mobile application, Hong Kong Leisure Farms.
In 2016, the government announced it would implement a New Agriculture Policy to promote the modernisation and sustainable development of local agriculture. A $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund was set up and started receiving applications to enhance the overall competitiveness of the industry. Other major measures under the policy include establishing an Agricultural Park, exploring the feasibility and merits of designating agricultural priority areas, providing better support to help farmers move up the value chain in areas such as product marketing and brand building, and developing leisure and educational activities related to agriculture. These measures will be implemented in stages.
Fisheries Industry
Fresh fish is one of Hong Kong's most important primary products. In 2016, the amount of fish caught and fish reared in ponds and floating cages at sea totalled about 146,500 tonnes, with a value of $2.7 billion.
Some 6,630 vessels were licensed as Class III vessels, meaning fishing vessels, under the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels (Certification and Licensing) Regulation. These included larger vessels operating mainly in the South China Sea and smaller vessels in local waters. About 10,800 local fishermen and 4,600 Mainland deckhands worked on these vessels. The total catch weighed 142,775 tonnes, with an estimated wholesale value of $2.6 billion. The capture fisheries. industry provided some 44,000 tonnes of fish for local consumption.
165