HONG KONG: THE FACTS
Agriculture and Fisheries
AGRICULTURE
Geographically Hong Kong consists largely of steep, hillside. Only 7 square kilometres of land are actively farmed. Farms are generally small in size and they produce mainly leafy vegetables, pigs or poultry.
Consumption: In round figures, the daily fresh food consumption by Hong Kong’s population of more than seven million is 913 tonnes of rice, 2 270 tonnes of vegetables, 4 580 head of pigs, 53 head of cattle and 34 tonnes of poultry in 2013. Much of this is imported, but Hong Kong’s primary producers help to satisfy some of the demand.
Local Production: The gross value of local agricultural production totalled $776 million in 2013. 2 per cent of the vegetables Hong Kong people consumed, together with 60 per cent of the live poultry and 7 per cent of the live pigs, come from local farms. Local production is geared to complement rather than compete with other major market suppliers. Production efforts are aimed mainly at high-value fresh foods.
Principal Crops: The value of crop production amounted to $256 million in 2013. Vegetable and flower production account for about 93 per cent of the total value, being $238 million in 2013.
Vegetable crops grown all year round include Chinese white cabbage, flowering Chinese cabbage, lettuce, Chinese kale, radish, leaf mustard, spring onion and chive. Spinach, watercress and Chinese wolfberry are produced in the cooler months. Yard-long bean, water spinach, Chinese spinach, cucumber and several species of Chinese gourd are produced in summer. A wide range of temperate vegetables including tomato, sweet pepper, cauliflower, carrot and celery is grown in winter.
Flower cultivation has gained importance in recent years. Gladiolus, lily and chrysanthemum are grown in winter; and ginger lily and lotus flower in summer. Peach blossom is grown especially for the Lunar New Year.
A wide range of fruit is grown on the lower hill slopes, the main types being lychee, longan, wampei, local lemon, orange, tangerine, guava, papaya and banana.
Animal Husbandry: There were 43 local pig farms and 29 local poultry farms in 2014. In the first half of 2014, local pig production was valued at $119 million and local poultry production including eggs was valued at $154 million.
To reduce the public health and environmental pollution problems associated with livestock keeping, the government introduced a Voluntary Surrender Scheme for Poultry and Pig Farms in 2005 and 2006 respectively as well as a Buyout Scheme for Poultry Farms in 2008. These schemes encourage livestock keepers to surrender their Livestock Keeping Licence (LKL) and cease their farm operation permanently in return for exgratia payment. Under these schemes, 162 poultry farmers and 222 pig farmers had surrendered their LKL.
Hong Kong has only one licensed dairy farm located in Sha Tau Kok, New Territories.
Agricultural Development: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and its closely related marketing organisations provide infrastructural support and technical services to the various primary industries.
The department’s crop specialists undertake studies into practical problems in pest control, crop husbandry and soil management. They also investigate specific production technologies to enhance the efficiency and economic benefits of the industry. This work is carried out in an experimental station in Sheung Shui and results are made available to farmers by the department’s advisory service.
Agricultural advisory activities are aimed at assisting farmers to improve productivity through the introduction of new and improved produce varieties and production techniques, backed up by adequate credit facilities and efficient and orderly marketing services.
Promotion of adaptive greenhouse and organic production technology for local farms are currently being undertaken.
Examples of well-received new produce varieties are: supersweet corn, milky pak choi, rock melon, strawberry and white bitter cucumber.
Loans issued to farmers in 2013 amounted to $7.2 million and the total value of loans issued up to December 31, 2013 (under three separate loan funds administered by AFCD) was $619 million. These loans are granted to cover farm production and development purposes.
Agricultural development also includes improvement of basic infrastructure, rehabilitation of fallow land and studies in farm management problems. Infrastructural work concentrates on the maintenance and improvement of communal irrigation and drainage facilities.
An Accredited Farm Scheme for protecting the environment and consumers against residues of agricultural pesticides was introduced in 1994. Accredited farms are strictly monitored and supervised on uses of pesticides and produce is further checked for pesticide residue before they are sold at accredited retail outlets. At the end of 2014, a total of 305 farms in Hong Kong and the mainland of China were accredited, supplying about 58 tonnes of accredited produce daily.
AFCD has been providing technical support to local organic farmers since December 2000. AFCD introduces to farmers the organic production standards and requirements, and helps farmers to resolve the problems on integrated pest management, horticultural practices and soil management. At the end of 2014, a total of 248 farms in Hong Kong joined the
