Government not doing enough to promote green living, say Hong Kong's farmers
Lack of transport facilities and channels for selling their produce has left the city's farmers struggling to make a living
Until about 40 years ago, Yuen Long jasmine rice, known for its high quality, was a staple part of the diet in Hong Kong. New Territories vegetables were and still are considered by local consumers to be fresh and safe, even if the output has dwindled.
Between urban sprawl and the eagerness of developers to snap up land that could one day turn a massive profit, agriculture in Hong Kong has long been in decline. Today, most locals eat Thai rice and vegetables from the mainland.
Of the 4,523 hectares of agricultural land in Hong Kong, 3,794 hectares lie fallow and only 729 hectares are actively farmed, official statistics show. Many farmers have abandoned their land, sold it to developers or taken up better-paid work elsewhere.
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Yet with growing awareness of the concepts of land conservation and green living, perhaps mixed with nostalgia for food from home soil, calls to revive agriculture have emerged. Against this backdrop, the government produced a draft agricultural policy and launched a three-month public consultation exercise, which ended on Tuesday.
Among the highlights was the idea of setting up a 70- to 80-hectare agricultural park to promote cutting-edge agricultural techniques and provide farmers with infrastructure support and technological training.