Farming still has a part to play in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's agriculture industry is a shadow of what it once was. Just 2 per cent of vegetables are locally grown, compared to one-third up to the 1980s. Local production constitutes just 0.1 per cent of the economy. Yet the government has launched a three-month consultation on controversial plans to acquire 80 hectares of land to create the city's first agricultural park.

With more than 90 per cent of fresh produce coming from the mainland, there would seem little to be gained from the idea. Farming is a fickle business, being governed by the weather and seasons and requiring costly equipment and fertiliser. Land for housing and recreation is in short supply. Setting aside space to grow what can already be obtained for reasonable prices elsewhere would appear to make little sense. With the government's compensation rate for farmland presently at HK$808 per square foot, acquiring the 80 hectares would cost, by the Post's estimates, at least HK$7 billion.

But Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man has put forward valid arguments for the idea. It would likely boost the annual amount of local produce by 25 per cent to about 20,400 tonnes, equivalent to a value of about HK$200 million. Coupled with a fund to encourage research and provide matching grants to entrepreneurs, we could have fresher and better-quality vegetables, educate and provide work for young people, improve technology and techniques, rehabilitate fallow farmland and accommodate farmers who have been displaced by development of the New Territories.

Hong Kong's limited land area means that agriculture is often assessed purely in economic terms. But farmland can also provide recreation opportunities, maintain cultural links to the past, make the city greener and ensure ties between people and nature and rural and urban areas. Our higher education institutions could foster science-based learning and research by offering agriculture-targeted courses. They are matters worthy of consideration in our quest to develop and improve our city.