2024/03/08
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Agriculture in HK

OVERVIEW

  • Providing local consumers with high quality fresh food through intensive land use and production methods

  • Small but intensive vegetable and livestock farms have taken over from the more traditional rice farming over the past decades

  • Currently there are about 2,600 farms in the territory.  They employ directly about 4,400 farmers and workers

AGRICULTURAL POLICY

  • The Government is responsible for the provision of basic infrastructure and technical support necessary for the development of modern, efficient, safe and environmentally acceptable farming, but leave the industries to adjust to market forces

  • The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is responsible to promote adaptive new production method and help the industries to take advantage of new market opportunities

 

AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

  • Market gardening crop is currently one of the most important users of agricultural land. Major crops under cultivation comprise food crops including mainly of Brassica, Compositae and various aquatic vegetables, and ornamental crops such as Gladiolus, Lilium and Chrysanthemum

  • By the end of 2023, the land used for vegetable, flower, field crop, and orchard are 342 ha, 118 ha, 5 ha, and 264 ha respectively

  • Application Guide for Letter of Approval for Agricultural Structures
    Under the terms and conditions of land grant, a farmer who wishes to construct agricultural structures (e.g. greenhouses, livestock sheds, hatcheries, fish ponds, store rooms etc.) on leasehold agricultural land must apply to the Lands Department for a Letter of Approval for Agricultural Structures. To facilitate application by farmers, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will receive application forms on behalf of the Lands Department and conduct preliminary processing. If an application involves commercial purpose or government land, it will be referred to the Lands Department for direct handling.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

  • In 2023, the local agriculture industry produces $1,027 million worth of produce. It comprises $391 million of crop production, $353 million of livestock production and $283 million of poultry production

  • The average daily production of vegetable, live chicken and live pigs are 43 tonnes, 11,000 birds and 310 heads respectively

  • In 2023, local production accounted for 1.9 percent of fresh vegetables, 100 percent of live poultry and 12.0 percent of live pigs consumed in the territory

  • The most common crops cultivated are leafy vegetables and high-value cut flowers

  • The trend of the livestock industry is towards fewer but bigger farms. Production of live pigs is the most important livestock sector and the poultry industry is mainly production of chickens