ENG-1995 — Page 161

9 PRIMARY PRODUCTION

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AGRICULTURE is a comparatively small sector in Hong Kong which is characterised by rapid urbanisation. Farming is largely undertaken on the urban fringes and only about 3.4 per cent of the land is under cultivation. In 1995, local production accounted for 26 per cent of vegetables, 23 per cent of live poultry, seven per cent of live pigs, 11 per cent of freshwater fish and 71 per cent of all live and fresh marine fish consumed.

Each day, Hong Kong people consume about 890 tonnes of rice, 940 tonnes of vegetables, 7 540 pigs, 360 head of cattle, 270 tonnes of poultry, 470 tonnes of fish and 1 680 tonnes of fruit. About 47 per cent of Hong Kong's food requirements are imported from China.

The Hong Kong Government does not give direct subsidies to the local agricultural industry or attempt to protect it from the free operation of market forces. It does, however, provide a variety of infrastructural and technical support services to facilitate local agricultural development.

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The Agriculture and Fisheries Department implements government policies on agriculture and fisheries. It provides support services including wholesale marketing facilities, irrigation and drainage works, technical and development advice, adminis- tration of agricultural and fisheries loan funds, and development programmes such as the accredited farm scheme, the agricultural land rehabilitation scheme, and the moist pellet feed scheme for mariculture. Local production statistics are given at Appendix 25.

The Agricultural Industry

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Local agriculture is directed towards the production of high quality fresh food through intensive land use. This has resulted in the change from traditional rice farming to small but intensive crop and livestock farming over the past decades. The most common crops cultivated are leafy vegetables and high-value cut flowers. Production was valued at about $566 million.

Pigs and poultry are the principal animals reared for food. Livestock production has suffered a decline in recent years due to the implementation of a livestock waste control scheme. The trend is towards fewer but bigger farms. The value of locally- produced pigs in 1995 amounted to $265 million and that of poultry, including chickens, ducks, pigeons and quails, amounted to $386 million.

Agricultural Development

Strong competition from imports, land and labour constraints, and progressive implementation of environmental pollution controls, have forced the agricultural