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MONDAY, MAY 12, 1986
LEARNING ABOUT AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES
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THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR JOHN YAXLEY, TODAY (MONDAY) INSPECTED VARIOUS FACILITIES OF THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AS PART OF A FAMILIAR ISATION TOUR.
ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, DR LAWRENCE LEE, HE STARTED HIS VISIT AT THE CHEUNG SHA WAN WHOLESALE VEGETABLE MARKET OF THE VEGETABLE MARKETING ORGANISATION AND SAW THE MARKETING OF LOCALLY-PRODUCED VEGETABLES.
THE PARTY THEN WENT TO YIM TIN TSAI IN TAI PO BY WAY OF THE SHING MUN COUNTRY PARK AND TAI PO KAU NATURE RESERVE.
ALONG THE WAY, MR YAXLEY WAS BRIEFED ON THE REPLANTING PROGRAMME BY THE DEPARTMENT TO RESTOCK COUNTRY PARK PLANTATIONS FOLLOWING A SERIOUS FIRE IN JANUARY THIS YEAR. HE WAS ALSO TOLD THAT A NEW MANAGEMENT CENTRE AND A VISITOR CENTRE WERE BEING BUILT IN SHING MUN COUNTRY PARK.
THE GROUP THEN WENT BY BOAT TO INSPECT THE YIM TIN TSAI WEST FISH CULTURE ZONE, ONE OF 27 DESIGNATED CULTURE ZONĖS.
MR YAXLEY WAS TOLD OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE MARICULTURE INDUSTRY, PROBLEMS CONFRONTING MARICULTURISTS AND ACTION TAKEN TO SOLVING THEM.
IN THE AFTERNOON, MR YAXLEY TOURED THE DEPARTMENT'S TAI LUNG EXPERIMENTAL FARM, WHERE CROP INVESTIGATORY WORK IS CARRIED OUT TO SOLVE MAJOR FARM PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY THE LOCAL FARMING COMMUNITY.
HE TOURED THE FARM'S CROPS LABORATORY WHERE EXPERIMENTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED ON THE USE OF SAWDUST AND OTHER BIODEGRADABLE WASTE MATERIALS AS A GROWING MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF EDIBLE MUSHROOMS.
HE ALSO SAW FIELD TESTS ON THE USE OF PESTICIDES ON VEGETABLE CROPS AND VARIOUS DESIGNS OF PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES FOR FORCED-CROPPING TO ENSURE CONTINUING PRODUCTION EVEN UNDER ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITION.
MR YAXLEY SHOWED AN INTEREST IN THE VARIOUS NON-CHEMICAL METHODS EXPERIMENTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO PROTECT CROPS FROM DAMAGE BY DISEASES, INSECTS AND AGRICULTURAL PESTS.
ALSO ACCOMPANYING MR YAXLEY ON THE VISIT WERE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (AGRICULTURE), DR THOMAS YIP, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (CONSERVATION AND COUNTRY PARKS), MR K.C. IU, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (FISHERIES), DR CHRISTOPHER LEE.
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