ENG-1980 — Page 101

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

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Director of Agriculture and Fisheries). Its main concerns are transporting locally-produced vegetables from the New Territories to the wholesale market in Kowloon, providing marketing facilities, and supervising sales and financial transactions in the market. Revenue is obtained from a 10 per cent commission on sales. The organisation is non-profit-making. It seeks to obtain maximum returns for growers by minimising marketing costs, and renders such ancillary services as the acquisition and sale of agricultural supplies to farmers and the awarding of tertiary education scholarships to the dependants of farmers. During the year, 56,600 tonnes of vegetables valued at $132.4 million were sold through the organisation. The Fish Marketing Organisation operates under the Marine Fish (Marketing) Ordin- ance, which also provides for an advisory board. The ordinance provides for control of the landing, wholesale marketing, and the import and export of marine fish. The Fish Marketing Organisation operates seven wholesale fish markets. Revenue is obtained from a six per cent commission on the proceeds of sales, with surplus earnings being channelled back into the industry in the form of various services. These include low interest rate loans to fishermen; market and marketing improvements; support for the 14 schools run for the benefit of fishermen's children; and the awarding of scholarships for secondary and tertiary education.

In 1980, the wholesale fish markets handled 82,743 tonnes of marine fish, crustacea and molluscs which were sold for some $438 million. This included 1,100 tonnes of imported marine fish sold through these markets.

Facilities in the existing wholesale markets are inadequate for handling the ever- increasing quantities of imported fresh vegetables, fruit, poultry, eggs, freshwater fish and crustacea. There is widespread obstruction, traffic congestion and low marketing efficiency at high costs. With the obvious need to improve these markets, plans are going ahead to establish new wholesale markets in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. In the interim, the government has brought a number of temporary wholesale markets into operation.

Mining

Under the Mining Ordinance, the Crown has the ownership and control of minerals. The Land Officer is empowered to grant mining leases and the Commissioner of Mines to grant mining and prospecting licences. Details of leases and licences in operation are published twice a year in the Government Gazette. At the end of the year, two mining leases, six mining licences and two prospecting licences were valid for different areas.

Kaolin, feldspar and quartz are mined by opencast methods. Most of the feldspar produced is exported to Taiwan, while the quartz and kaolin are consumed by local industries.

The Mines Division of the Labour Department enforces legislation and safety regula- tions relating to mining and explosives. It processes mining and prospecting applications; inspects mining and prospecting areas, stone quarries, blasting sites and explosives stores; and issues shotfirers' blasting certificates. The division also controls the possession, con- veyance, storage, manufacture and use of explosives in Hong Kong, including delivery of explosives from government depots to blasting sites. In addition, it manages government explosives depots that provide bulk storage facilities for imported explosives.

A new commercial explosives manufacturing plant on Stonecutters Island, which com- menced operation in April, 1980, will ensure a steady supply of explosives to the busy construction industry. The consumption of explosives during 1980 reached a record level of 7,955 tonnes.