ENG-1993 — Page 154

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PRIMARY PRODUCTION

MOST of Hong Kong's food supplies are imported - with China supplying about 47 per cent of the territory's total requirements.

Local production enables Hong Kong to maintain some degree of self-sufficiency and helps to stabilise the price and supply of fresh produce. The territory's farmers and fishermen produce about 24 per cent of fresh vegetables, 27 per cent of live poultry, six per cent of live pigs, 12 per cent of freshwater fish and 61 per cent of all live and fresh marine fish consumed. Their produce is highly regarded in the marketplace for its freshness and quality and so tends to fetch higher prices.

Each day, Hong Kong people consume about 950 tonnes of rice, 1020 tonnes of vegetables, 7 610 pigs, 370 head of cattle, 270 tonnes of poultry, 570 tonnes of fish and 1 700 tonnes of fruit. Based on these figures, they are among the world's highest consumers of protein, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The government, as with other sectors of the economy, does not give direct subsidies to the primary industries or seek to protect them from the free operation of market forces. It does, however, provide infrastructural and technical support services to facilitate their development.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Department is the co-ordinator and main provider of these services, which aim to help the primary industries to increase their productivity and efficiency, and take advantage of new market opportunities. The department studies the business efficiency of different industry sectors to establish and update productivity standards and identify areas for improvement.

Local production statistics are given at Appendix 22.

Agricultural Industry

As only about 7.5 per cent of Hong Kong's total land area is suitable for farming, local agriculture is directed towards the production of high quality fresh foods through intensive land use.

The most common crops are vegetables and flowers, although a small quantity of fruit and other high-yield field crops are also grown. About 1 740 hectares of land were under vegetable and flower cultivation in 1993. The value of crop production was about $412 million.

The main vegetable crops grown are white cabbage, flowering cabbage and lettuce. These are cultivated throughout the year, with peak production in the cooler months. Some

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