SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 1979
3
* A POSSIBLE SHORTAGE DEVELOPING IN OFFICE SPACE, AND
*
AN ACCELERATION IN THE RATE OF INCREASE IN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
COMMENTING ON THE REPORT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE ECONOMY IS CLEARLY ADJUSTING WITH THE GROWTH RATE OF TOTAL FINAL DEMAND NOW MORE IN LINE WITH THE GROWTH RATE OF THE ECONOMY'S OUTPUT SO THAT THE RATE AT WHICH IMPORTS ARE SUCKED IN IS SLOWING DOWN.
THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT AS A PROPORTION OF IMPORTS HAS BECOME SMALLER.
HE ADDED THAT THE ECONOMY IS PROCEEDING LARGELY ON COURSE WITH EXPORTS GRADUALLY REGAINING THEIR POSITION AS THE MAIN IMPETUS TO GROWTH.
HE SAID THAT THE REDISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES IN FAVOUR OF THE EXPORT SECTOR IS ENCOURAGING,
HOWEVER, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT PARTLY AS A RESULT OF HIGHER THAN EXPECTED INCREASES IN OIL PRICES AND HENCE IN WORLD PRICES IN GENERAL, DOMESTIC PRICES LOOK LIKE TO BE
INCREASING AT A RATE HIGHER THAN EXPECTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY SO.
THE REPORT WILL SHORTLY BE ON SALE AT $14 A COPY.
16 MILLION HK CHICKENS END UP IN THE POT ANNUALLY
****
SIXTEEN MILLION CHICKENS, OR 70 PER CENT OF TOTAL SALES, THAT END UP IN THE POT ANNUALLY COME FROM HONG KONG'S OWN POULTRY FARMS.
THIS HAS BEEN THE RECORD FOR THE PAST DECADE SHOWING THIS IS ONE AREA OF THE MARKET THAT HAS NEVER LOST OUT TO IMPORTS.
ONE REASON FOR THIS IS, OF COURSE, HONG KONG'S DISCRIMINATING CONSUMERS. IF THEY HAVE CHICKEN DINNER IN MIND THEY WILL HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE STALL-SELLING LOCALLY BRED CHICKENS.
PLAYING NO SMALL ROLE IN KEEPING THE CONSUMER HAPPY IS THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT.
POULTRY EXPERTS FROM THIS DEPARTMENT ARE CONTINUOUSLY +HATCHING IDEAS ON A FATTER, MORE SUCCULENT VARIETY OF CHICKEN.
FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER 10 YEARS OF INTENSIVE SELECTION AND CROSS- BREEDING EXPERIMENTS AT THE CASTLE PEAK POULTRY BREEDING CENTRE, EXPERTS HAVE IMPROVED THE +SHEK KI+ BREED.
THESE ARE USED AS BREEDING STOCK FOR MULTIPLICATION IN BREEDING FARMS. THEY ALSO SUCCESSFULLY FOUND OUT SUITABLE BREEDING PROGRAMMES TO BE ADOPTED BY FARMERS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCES.
/+ LAST YEAR ...