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Members of the public can now buy safe and fresh locally grown vegetables on Sundays from a farmers' market launched at Lam Tei today (May 11) for selling accredited vegetables produced in the New Territories.

The market is a new sales channel jointly developed by the Government and the trade by pooling together the efforts of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Vegetable Marketing Organization (VMO) and the Federation of Vegetable Marketing Co-operative Societies Ltd.

The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, officiated at the opening ceremony. He said he hoped the market would enable the public to learn more about locally grown accredited vegetables and support the sustainable development of the agriculture and fisheries trade in Hong Kong. He looked forward to continued collaboration between the Government and the trade in providing quality local produce for the public.

The market, with more than 20 locally grown accredited vegetable stalls manned by farmers, has been well received by both farmers and the public since its soft launch in November last year. Many people patronise the market on Sundays. It offers a chance for farmers to have direct contact with consumers to promote and sell the accredited vegetables they have grown.

To promote locally grown vegetables, recipes using the seasonal vegetables chosen by the AFCD will be made available at the market and an on-site cooking demonstration will be held on the first Sunday of every month.

Three species of green leafy vegetables that can stand relatively hot weather and are suitable for planting in Hong Kong during spring and summer, namely wild amaranth, water spinach and Italian lettuce, have been chosen for promotion in the current season. These vegetable species are being grown widely in accredited local farms.

Accredited vegetables are produced by farms accredited by the AFCD. Officers of the AFCD pay regular visits to the accredited farms to ensure that the farmers follow the AFCD's advice on safe and quality production and to resolve any production problems that the farmers may encounter.

Apart from being sold at the Lam Tei Farmers' Market, locally grown accredited vegetables are also available at designated accredited retail outlets at seven wet markets in Wan Chai, North Point, Mei Foo, Lok Fu, Lam Tin, Tseung Kwan O and Ma On Shan. Members of the public may also use the mobile application of the VMO to make purchases.

The market is open on Sundays from 9am to 3pm and admission is free. In addition to the vegetable stalls, a game zone has been set up for children to take part in activities such as pencil colouring, face painting, badge making, cloth craft and more.

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