***************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (October 29):
Question:
The Chief Executive indicated in the 2014 Policy Address that the Government would review its agricultural policy to enhance productivity and promote sustainable development, and would carry out consultation within this year. Regarding the development of the agriculture industry in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the progress and details of the aforesaid review; when the authorities will commence the consultation exercise and of the details of the exercise;
(2) of (i) the total area of agricultural land, (ii) the area of active agricultural land, (iii) the area of agricultural land left derelict, and (iv) the respective areas of agricultural land used for producing vegetables, flowers, field crops and orchards in Hong Kong each year from 2010 to the end of September this year (set out in the Annex 1);
(3) whether many pieces of agricultural land are left derelict at present; if so, whether it has studied if the situation is attributable to the hoarding of agricultural land by developers for future development, and whether there are measures in place to address the problem of agricultural land being left derelict;
(4) of (i) the output and (ii) the total value (thousand dollars) of crops produced each year from 2010 to the end of September this year, together with a breakdown by kind of crops (flower, fruit, vegetable and field crop) set out in Annex 2;
(5) of (i) the number of farms engaged in farming activities, (ii) the number of organic farms among them, and (iii) the number of farmers involved each year from 2012 to the end of September this year (set out in Annex 3);
(6) of the respective market shares of locally produced vegetables and fruits each year from 2012 to the end of September this year (set out in Annex 4); whether the authorities have put in place measures to increase the production of local vegetables and fruits and to set self-sufficiency targets for such crops; if there are such measures, of the details, and whether they have assessed the effectiveness of such measures; if there are no such measures, the reasons for that; and
(7) of the respective numbers of applications for leasing agricultural land under the Agricultural Land Rehabilitation Scheme (the Scheme) received and approved by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department from January to September this year, the area of agricultural land leased out through the Scheme and the average waiting time for such applicants, as well as the current number of applications for leasing agricultural land on the waiting list; whether the authorities will implement any measures to shorten the average waiting time; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(1) The Government is reviewing the existing agricultural policy with a view to enhancing productivity and promoting sustainable development. This will include introducing modern and environment-friendly agricultural technologies that help conserve our natural resources and the agricultural ecology, so as to supply good quality local agricultural products to members of the public whilst at the same time promoting the diversified development of the rural areas. The Government plans to consult the public on the revised policy by the end of this year.
(2) The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) conducts on-site surveys at local farms regularly to collect information about the area of agricultural land under active farming and crop varieties. At the beginning of each year, AFCD compiles statistics for the preceding year after it has consolidated and analysed the information collected. Statistics for the period from January to September 2014 are therefore not yet available (the same applies to parts (4) to (6) of the reply below). Details about (i) the total area of agricultural land; (ii) the area of agricultural land under active farming; (iii) the area of fallow agricultural land; and (iv) the area of agricultural land used for growing vegetables, flowers, field crops and orchards in Hong Kong from 2010 to 2013 are set out in Annex 5.
(3) According to the information provided by the Planning Department, nearly 70% of the land zoned as "Agriculture" is privately owned. In most cases, private agricultural land in Hong Kong was granted under Block Government Leases in early years. Generally speaking, these leases do not impose any requirement to the effect that the owners have to put the land to use and should not leave the land idle. It is for the landowners to decide whether or not to use their land for agricultural production. The Development Bureau also notices that there have all along been rental activities involving private agricultural land. Whether a piece of private agricultural land will be used for farming is dependent on whether the landowner prefers to rent out the land for non-agricultural purposes. Relevant considerations include farming demand, geographical environment, and rental level, etc. There is currently no evidence to show that reserving the agricultural land for development is a main consideration of the landlords in deciding to leave the agricultural land fallow.
(4) Based on the data collected by AFCD from 2010 to 2013, we set out in Annex 6 (i) the output; and (ii) the total value of crops produced, broken down by kind of crops (flower, fruit, vegetable and field crop).
(5) Based on the data collected by AFCD in 2012 and 2013, we set out in Annex 7 (i) the number of farms engaged in farming activities; (ii) the number of organic farms among them; and (iii) the number of farmers involved.
(6) According to the statistics collected by AFCD in 2012 and 2013, the respective market share of locally produced vegetables and fruits are set out in Annex 8.
Through the provision of basic infrastructure, technical support and low-interest loans to farmers, AFCD has been facilitating the further development of local agriculture, enhancing the productivity and business viability of the industry, thereby helping the farmers to produce good quality and high-value agricultural products that are safe for consumption. For example, AFCD actively encourages and supports local farmers to develop organic farming. Through the Organic Farming Support Service, AFCD provides technical advice and support for those farmers who wish to switch to organic farming from traditional farming. It also promotes the production and sale of local organic agricultural products jointly with the Vegetable Marketing Organisation (VMO) and the Federation of Vegetable Marketing Co-operative Societies, Ltd. Currently, 244 farms participate in the Organic Farming Support Service, producing about 5.5 tonnes of organic agricultural products each day for the local market. At present, there are more than 37 organic vegetable retail outlets under the VMO marketing network, including large supermarkets, shops in MTR stations, health food stores and the Lions Nature Education Centre outlet at Tsiu Hang, Sai Kung. Besides, AFCD supports the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre in its endeavours to educate the public on organic farming and promote the certification of organic products.
AFCD also organises from time to time talks and on-farm demonstrations for farmers, briefing them on improved varieties of agricultural products and new farming techniques. Quality produce developed in recent years includes red flesh rock melon, seedless water melon, yellow flesh water melon, long horn pepper, round eggplant, potato and organic strawberry.
The Government has also been actively assisting the industry in developing quality brand names. At present, 263 vegetable farms in the territory have participated in the Accredited Farm Scheme. AFCD helps the industry set up weekend farmers' markets and organises large-scale carnivals, such as the annual FarmFest which attracts over 100 participating local farmers and fishermen and more than 100 000 visitors every year. These events have helped showcase local agricultural and fishery products to the wider public and promote local brand names.
In keeping with the free-market principle, the Government does not set any targets for local agricultural production. Nor does it provide any direct financial subsidy to the industry or protect the price level of local agricultural products. The Government will continue to support the sustainable development of local agriculture through the provision of technical support and low-interest loans.
(7) AFCD has implemented the Land Rehabilitation Scheme to assist farmers and those who wish to engage in farming to identify suitable agricultural land for cultivation. Under this scheme, AFCD plays a bridging role by matching landowners with prospective tenants who intend to rent agricultural land and facilitates their entering into tenancy agreements. AFCD also provides services such as technical support and low-interest loans when rehabilitation begins, with a view to encouraging gainful utilisation of fallow agricultural land. From January to September this year, the AFCD received 24 applications for renting agricultural land under the Land Rehabilitation Scheme. During the same period, five applications were successfully matched, involving approximately 0.6 hectare of agricultural land. Since only a limited number of landowners are willing to rent out their agricultural land for agricultural activities, applicants usually have to wait quite a long time before they are successfully matched with landowners. At present, the average waiting time for each case is about five years. There are 272 cases on the waiting list.
Ends/Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:10
NNNN
