ENG-2008 — Page 233

Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries | 181

announcements, TV clips, flyers and a road show. Furthermore, the food trade was invited to join hands with the Government to promote the Five Keys to Food Safety to their staff and customers. Trade associations and members of the trade were invited to sign the 'Food Safety Charter'. A total of 20 food trade associations and over 1600 licensed food premises/supermarkets/convenient stores have signed the Charter.

Primary Production

Hong Kong's agriculture and fisheries industries are relatively small. They do not receive Government subsidies, but are helped by the Government to improve the quality of their output and enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

The combined output of the two industries was worth $2.6 billion in 2008. Vegetables' share of the output was 3 per cent, cut flowers, 35 per cent, live pigs. 6 per cent, live poultry 45 per cent, freshwater fish, 5 per cent, and local seafood, 26 per cent. Some 15 800 people were employed directly in these industries in 2008.

Agriculture Industry

Hong Kong's agricultural industry focuses mainly on producing quality fresh food crops through intensive land use. Farming is done largely in the New Territories. but only 2 per cent of the land there is being used for growing crops which. comprise mainly vegetables and cut flowers, whose combined output in 2008 was valued at about $260 million. Pigs and poultry are the principal animals reared for food. Locally reared pigs fetched about $213 million, while poultry, including chickens and chicken eggs, earned about $213 million.

To stay in business, Hong Kong's agricultural industry has to adapt to fast- changing market trends as it is constrained by the limited supply of farm land and labour, competition from imports, high cost of maintaining environmental standards and calls for improved farm hygiene and safe produce.

The AFCD encourages crop farmers to tap niche markets and to sharpen their competitiveness by cultivating safe, good quality vegetables. The department works with local organic farming groups and the Vegetable Marketing Organisation to promote organic farming and to develop a market for organic vegetables.

The department provides an organic farming support service to some 123 farms located on about 48 hectares of land. The AFCD also promotes the use of greenhouse technology for intensive high-value crop production. During the year, four improved varieties of vegetable and fruit little cucumber, leafy beet, dark leaf Chinese white cabbage and small sweet melon were introduced to farmers for cultivation in Hong Kong. The voluntary Accredited Farm Scheme managed by the AFCD and the Vegetable Marketing Organisation since 1994 provides a stable supply of high quality and safe vegetables. A total of 250 farms, spread over 2 117 hectares of land, have so far been accredited under the scheme.