LCQ9: Promoting development of local agriculture
************************************************
Question:
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Vegetable Marketing Organization launched the voluntary Accredited Farm Scheme (the Scheme) and the "Good Farmer" brand for "accredited vegetables" respectively in 1994 and 1998 to encourage farms to produce quality vegetables that are safe for consumption. In addition, it has been reported that there are currently two private agencies (certification organisations) in Hong Kong which provide organic food certification services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of farms engaged in farming and their respective cultivated area in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by (i) accredited farms, (ii) farms with certifications issued by the aforesaid certification organisations, and (iii) other farms;
(2) of the local production of vegetables and fruit in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by (i) accredited farms, (ii) farms with certifications issued by the aforesaid certification organisations, and (iii) other farms;
(3) of the number of local and Mainland farms currently participating in the Scheme; among them, the number of farms which are "inactive" (i.e. their agricultural land has been abandoned and no commercial crop production is taking place); and the number of accredited farms delisted by the AFCD due to inactivity in each of the past five years;
(4) of the current eligibility criteria for becoming an accredited farm; whether it knows the conditions adopted by the aforesaid certification organisations for granting organic certification; and the support and facilitation measures provided by the AFCD to farms participating in the Scheme and to farms with organic certification;
(5) the number of investigations conducted by the authorities on local vegetables and fruits by way of sample testing in each of the past five years, and the number of cases where unsatisfactory samples were detected, with a breakdown by (i) accredited farms, (ii) farms with certifications issued by the aforesaid certification organisations, and (iii) other farms; and how the authorities follow up on unsatisfactory samples, including whether they will conduct investigations into the farms from which such samples originate;
(6) of the current requirements for becoming an "accredited retailer"; whether the AFCD has compiled statistics on the number of "accredited retailers" which sell only agricultural produce from accredited farms, and whether it requires retail outlets selling agricultural produce from non-accredited farms to distinguish such produce by labelling; and
(7) given that the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries published by the Government in 2023 proposes the building of local agricultural products brand, will the authorities consider integrating the Scheme and the organic certification services of the aforesaid certification organisations to introduce a centralised certification system for grading local agricultural products so as to enhance their attractiveness and recognition?
Reply:
President,
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Vegetable Marketing Organization (VMO) have jointly launched the voluntary Accredited Farm Scheme in 1994, which encourages local farmers to adopt good horticultural practices, environmentally-friendly crop production methods, and the proper and safe use of pesticides, thereby assisting the industry in brand building. The AFCD provides technical support and sample-testing services for participating farms ("accredited farms"). Crops produced by these "accredited farms" and marketed through the VMO (including fresh vegetables and fruits, "accredited vegetables") is sold by "accredited retailers" authorised by the VMO. Since 1995, the Accredited Farm Scheme has extended to cover farms in the Chinese Mainland operated by Hong Kong residents. To enhance public awareness and confidence, the VMO has been promoting "accredited vegetables" at the retail level under the "Good Farmer" brand since 1998, with logos and signages designed for "accredited retailers" for easy identification by the public.
On organic certification service, the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (HKORC) is the major organic certification body in Hong Kong. With funding from the Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund (SADF) administered by the AFCD, the HKORC has launched a project on "Management, Operation and Support for an Organic Certification System, and Publicity and Education of Organic Certification" to provide farmers with voluntary certification service, and carry out publicity and education activities to promote local organic agricultural products. As at December 2025, the HKORC has certified 124 organic farms ("certified organic farms"). As for another organic certification body, i.e. the Hong Kong Organic Certification Centre, it has not applied for the SADF. Since March 2012, its website has not been updated with information about local farms it certified. The AFCD does not have such information either.
Reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan is as follows:
(1) and (3) According to the AFCD's records, the respective numbers and cultivated areas of "accredited farms", "certified organic farms" and other farms over the past five years are tabulated as follows:
| Year | "Accredited farms" (Note 1) | "Certified organic farms" (Note 1) | Other farms | |||||
| Local | Mainland | |||||||
| Number | Area (hectares) |
Number | Area (hectares) |
Number | Area (hectares) |
Number (approx.) | Area (hectares) |
|
| 2021 | 289 | 85 | 26 | 2 488 | 133 | 80 | 2 100 | 604 |
| 2022 | 289 | 85 | 26 | 2 488 | 127 | 77 | 2 000 | 576 |
| 2023 | 280 | 81 | 25 | 2 396 | 127 | 76 | 2 000 | 578 |
| 2024 | 280 | 80 | 25 | 2 359 | 119 | 71 | 2 000 | 569 |
| 2025 | 275 | 80 | 25 | 2 359 | 124 | 72 | 2 000 | 566 |
The AFCD conducts regular visits to "accredited farms" in both Hong Kong and the Mainland. If a farm was found left fallow for a long time or no longer engaged in commercial production, its "accredited farm" status would be lifted. The number of farms withdrew from the Accredited Farm Scheme over the past five years due to operational inactivity is tabulated as follows:
| Year | Number of farms withdrew from the Accredited Farm Scheme due to operational inactivity | |
| Local | Mainland | |
| 2021 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 | 0 |
(2) According to the AFCD's records, the total local crop production volumes from 2021 to 2025 were approximately 15 300 tonnes, 15 100 tonnes, 15 800 tonnes, 15 300 tonnes and 15 400 tonnes respectively. The AFCD does not maintain a breakdown of vegetable or fruit production. The production of "accredited vegetables" from "accredited farms", as well as crops from "certified organic farms" and other farms over the past five years are as follows:
| Year | Production of "accredited vegetables" from "accredited farms" (Tonnes) (Note 2) |
Crops from "certified organic farms" (Tonnes) | Crops from other farms (Tonnes) (Note 3) | |
| Local | Mainland | |||
| 2021 | 360 | 5 260 | 2 165 | 12 775 |
| 2022 | 264 | 4 031 | 2 083 | 12 753 |
| 2023 | 255 | 6 234 | 2 056 | 13 489 |
| 2024 | 152 | 3 279 | 1 926 | 13 222 |
| 2025 | 148 | 1 350 | 1 948 | 13 304 |
(4) Participation in the Accredited Farm Scheme is voluntary in nature. Participating farms are required to adhere to the good agricultural practices drawn up by the AFCD, such as the proper use of pesticides and the keeping of cultivation records. The AFCD will carry out pre-harvest sampling of crops for pesticide residue analysis, and provide guidance to farmers on the proper use of pesticides, adoption of environmentally-friendly crop production methods and good horticultural practices, so as to enhance the quality of crops and create a premium and safe brand.
On the other hand, the HKORC has established a set of organic crop production standards with reference to the standards set out by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, and provides organic certification service to local farms. Farms being certified are required to comply with the operational rules specified in these production standards and maintain proper production records. The HKORC also conducts inspections of certified farms to ensure that their produce meets the standards.
To facilitate the promotion of organic farming, the AFCD provides technical support to farms that intend to apply for or have already obtained organic certification through the "Organic Farming Support Service", including support in horticultural skills, soil fertility management, pest and disease control, and deploys staff for on-site inspections and sampling of soil, irrigation water and crops for testing, thereby assisting farms in acquiring and maintaining their organic certification.
(5) The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department implements the Food Surveillance Programme to collect food samples for testing at the import, wholesale and retail/catering levels under a risk-based principle on an ongoing basis. Over the past five years, the CFS collected and tested 23 314, 22 434, 21 166, 19 979 and 18 970 vegetable and fruit samples for sale locally. The CFS does not keep a breakdown of vegetable or fruit samples, nor does it keep the information of whether the samples collected were locally produced or imported.
When an unsatisfactory sample was detected, the CFS will trace its source and take appropriate follow-up actions, including instructing the vendors to stop selling and remove from shelves the affected batch of food. If the vegetable or fruit is locally produced, the CFS will also refer the case to the AFCD for follow-up. Over the past five years, the number of unsatisfactory local samples detected with pesticide residues exceeding the limits were three, one, two, two, and one respectively. Among the nine samples in total, four were from "accredited farms" and five were from other farms. The CFS has not detected any local fruit or vegetable sample with unsatisfactory heavy metal content over the past five years.
Moreover, the AFCD will visit "accredited farms" and "certified organic farms" to conduct pre-harvest sampling of crops for testing of pesticide residues and heavy metal. The number of samples collected by the AFCD for testing and that with unsatisfactory findings over the past five years are tabulated as follows:
| Year | "Accredited farms" | "Certified organic farms" | ||
| Number of samples | Number of unsatisfactory samples (Note 4) (pre-harvest) |
Number of samples | Number of unsatisfactory samples (Note 5) (pre-harvest) |
|
| 2021 | 2 227 | 8 | 297 | 9 |
| 2022 | 1 394 | 6 | 265 | 10 |
| 2023 | 3 054 | 4 | 252 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2 869 | 13 | 300 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 318 | 5 | 236 | 11 |
When crop sample from an "accredited farm" is suspected of containing pesticide residues or heavy metal content exceeding the prescribed limits, the AFCD will immediately require the farm to delay the harvesting of the crops and step up inspections and collect follow-up samples to ensure pesticides have been used properly and that the crops meet the food safety standards before being sold. Farms with three violations within six months will have their "accredited farm" status lifted.
If crop sample from a "certified organic farm" is unsatisfactory, The AFCD and the HKORC will visit the farm for follow-up investigation and require the farm to stop the sale of the concerned batch of crops. If a non-compliance with the organic crop production standard is confirmed, the HKORC will suspend or revoke the organic certification of the farm.
(6) Vendors who wish to apply to be retailers to sell "accredited vegetables" using the "Good Farmer" brand must provide records of purchase at the Cheung Sha Wan Vegetable Wholesale Market of the VMO and satisfy the on-site operational assessment conducted by the VMO staff at the retail outlets before they are qualified as "accredited retailers".
Since retailers often need to provide a diverse range of vegetables and fruits to meet operational and customer demands, the VMO will not mandate "accredited retailers" to sell agricultural products from "accredited farms" alone. For easy identification by the public, the VMO will disseminate "Good Farmer" logos and signages to "accredited retailers", and encourage them to display the signages on shelves to differentiate "accredited vegetables" from other agricultural products. In addition, the VMO will arrange visits from time to time to "accredited retailers" for random sampling of agricultural products for testing. As at end-2025, there were 217 "accredited retailers" and all of them are not just selling "accredited vegetables" alone.
(7) To enhance the competitiveness of local agricultural and fisheries products, the AFCD will launch a new unified brand for a wide range of government-recognised high-quality local agricultural and fisheries products in mid-2026. This will be supported by clear certification, testing and traceability mechanisms to highlight the premium value of the products and strengthen consumer confidence. The new unified brand will replace the existing Accredited Fish Farm Scheme and Accredited Farm Scheme which promote fisheries and agricultural products respectively. All eligible fish and crop farms currently participating in these two schemes will be fully integrated into the certification programme under the new unified brand for focused promotion and marketing.
As for the certification of organic farms, the HKORC accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements will continue to provide organic certification service to farms based on the organic crop production standards it has promulgated, ensuring that farms comply with the organic production requirements. "Certified organic farms" may also participate in the abovementioned certification programme under the new unified brand to enhance their competitiveness.
Note 1: In each of the past five years, there were respectively 11, 11, 12, 12, and 12 farms classified as both "accredited farms" and "certified organic farms" at the same time. This was because some farms continued to participate in the Accredited Farm Scheme while applying for organic certification.
Note 2: Since some "accredited farms" choose to distribute vegetables through direct sales or other channels, the market throughput of "accredited vegetables" has gradually decreased year on year.
Note 3: The production of crops from other farms includes crops grown by local "accredited farms" that are not "accredited vegetables" (i.e. crops not marketed through the VMO). The AFCD does not maintain the breakdown of the concerned items.
Note 4: Samples with a pesticide residue content higher than the maximum residue limit specified in Schedule 1 of the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132CM), or with a heavy metal content higher than the maximum level specified in the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V), are regarded as unsatisfactory.
Note 5: Samples containing pesticides mentioned in the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132CM) or other synthetic pesticides, or with a heavy metal content higher than the maximum level specified in the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V), are regarded as unsatisfactory.
Ends/Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:30
Issued at HKT 17:30
NNNN