ENG-1973 — Page 91

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

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the department and private afforestation is relatively unimportant. The New Terri- tories Administration is responsible for land tenure and certain aspects of land development in the New Territories.

Research programmes of the department extend to and include crop and animal husbandry as well as fisheries. On government farms experiments continue into im- proving the quality and yield per acre of strains of local vegetables, flowers and fruits. Results have been generally satisfactory. To improve quality in the field of animal husbandry, the department supplies farmers with breeding stock of pigs and poultry and also provides an artificial insemination service for pigs.

Fisheries research is carried out from the main station in Aberdeen, and sub- stations at Kat O and Au Tau. The Aberdeen station is concerned with research into marine resources and associated hydrological and oceanographical work in both local waters and in the northern part of the South China Sea, and with aquaculture research. At the Kat O sub-station investigations are continuing into mariculture, and at the Au Tau sub-station experiments relating to fresh water fish, including the induced breeding of carp species, are in hand.

Development and extension services are also provided for the agricultural and fishing industries. The main development in the agricultural industry (due primarily to rising labour costs) is the increasing interest which farmers have shown in the use of small farm machines and sprinkler irrigation. At the end of 1973, there were 755 rotary cultivators in use on fields and 323 sprinkler units on vegetable farms.

With financial and technical assistance from the government, the fishing industry is in the process of further development and modernisation with the introduction of new vessel designs, including the 90-foot wooden pair trawler and the 76-foot stern otter trawler to be fitted with hydraulic steering gear. Labour-saving mechanical line haulers have been introduced to long-liner fishermen to increase their produc- tivity. About 349 modern wooden fishing vessels have so far been built, 259 with private funds and 90 with government financial aid.

Hong Kong is divided into three districts for agricultural extension. Each district is administered by a District Extension Staff, supported by teams of specialists trained to deal with farming, livestock and co-operative problems. Close contact with the farming community is maintained by farm advisers and liaison with local co-operative societies and rural associations. Both credit and technical facilities are available through the extension service.

In the rural extension programme in 1973, more than 1,120 farmers attended discussion groups led by professional and technical officers from the department. A restricted programme of formal training was also carried out, in which 195 farmers and farmers' sons and daughters received vocational training in a wide variety of subjects. More than 171,175 visits were made to farmers and co-operative societies by both professional and technical officers. Farmers also visited government experi- mental farms and farming projects.

Close contact with the fishing community is maintained through an extension service, similar in scope to that provided for the agricultural industry, and by liaison