COVID-19 sparks boom for local farmers in Hong Kong

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COVID-19 sparks boom for local farmers in Hong Kong

Coronavirus pandemic has prompted more people to rethink what can be produced in the city

Published: April 06, 2020 11:52 AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Editor

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Copy of 783790-01-08-1586158844936 — After a coronavirus-fuelled wave of panic-buying briefly left Hong Kong's supermarket shelves bare, residents are turning to local producers for fresh food in a city almost entirely reliant on imports. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783785-01-08-1586158862370 — COVID-19 has threatened global supply chains as countries impose lockdowns and border restrictions, but for Hong Kong's dwindling farming community, the pandemic has sparked a sudden boom in business. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783786-01-08-1586158834450 — The twice-weekly market at Mapopo Community Farm in suburban northeast Hong Kong has doubled takings since the outbreak became a major public health issue in February. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783788-01-08-1586158837939 — "All of a sudden, so many people came to our fair for vegetables that our supply could not meet the demand," said founder Becky Au, who gave up her job in the city's financial heart a decade ago. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783789-01-08-1586158841132 — The pandemic has prompted more people to rethink what can be produced in Hong Kong, said Mandy Tang, who runs a campaign group that rallies behind the city's farmers by promoting local produce. Image Credit: AFP

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200604 hong kong — Hong Kong imports a staggering 98 percent of its vegetables, but it wasn't so always reliant on food from beyond its borders. Half a century ago, half of the greens consumed in the city were grown locally. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783793-01-08-1586158851820 — But that steadily dropped with Hong Kong's rapid economic growth and urbanisation in the 1960s and 70s, and local products were replaced with cheap imports from mainland China. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy of 783783-01-08-1586158855257 — "The pandemic makes us realise that more buildings are not making a city happier," said Lau Hoi-lung, an agriculture researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "Hong Kong must rethink its old habit of relying on shopping around the world and neglecting its own resources in order to become more resilient to (a) global crisis." Image Credit: AFP

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