Farmers who "depend on the sky for food" have to get up and work before dawn. "It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil." The hard work involved is not something that others can understand. If there is strong wind or rain or the sun is too strong, all the hard work may be wasted. Even if the plant is successfully grown, it is often sold at a low price to avoid unsalable conditions. Farmland is the foundation of a healthy economy and an important part of the environment and ecology.
Around 2015, I had just left the workplace. Thanks to the introduction of a Ms. Cheng Kwong Shan, I came into contact with farmland. I came to the farmland in Wing Hing Wai with my friends to become a farmer and carry out "organic" farming. He admits that starting to farm “organically” was just a dumb coincidence. At that time, no one knew much about "organic", but they learned about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. At that time, they planned to apply for certification from the Organic Resource Center, so they made a "three no-use" commitment – no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and no killing. Herbicide, I joined the organic farming support team of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and also participated in some organic farming courses in the industry to learn about organic farming to ensure that the vegetables grown are safe and healthy.
Running an organic farm is not easy—in addition to the unstable weather, pests are also a major challenge for organic farmers. The early planting of corn and cabbage will be eaten by Spodoptera Frugiperda. Since chemical pesticides cannot be used, all kinds of pests on the farm can only be dealt with manually. Therefore, the yield of organic farms is generally lower than that of conventional farms. However, there is an opportunity to bring vitality to the farmland. When I drive the plow beside me to plow the fields, larger birds such as little egrets will still walk by and catch insects in the fields leisurely. In contrast, birds rarely cross to the farm on the other side of the wire fence. Birds are very spiritual and can feel that the farmland here is less polluted by pesticides, so they choose to forage here. At night, you can also see many fireflies in the creeks in Wing Hing Wai. Fireflies need clear river water and non-polluted farmland to survive.
Healthy Express was established in 2019. Initially, it only hoped to use advanced network technology to more easily sell local agricultural products to consumers in different regions, so it connected a group of caring people to help build the website and help bridge the gap between farmers and customers. Direct sales via online shopping. In addition to general seasonal fruits and vegetables, we also connect with different origins and overseas sources, hoping to increase customer demand and diversify the products. We also hope to look further and cooperate with writers and friends from past work to bring healthy and Delicious organic products are introduced to customers. Through professional thinking and detailed introduction of products, we list the supply farms and organic certification information of each product, hoping to use our authority to strengthen customers' confidence in organic agricultural products.
After several years of hard work, Hong Kong’s organic market is not yet mature. Coupled with Hong Kong’s insufficient congenital conditions, it is not yet possible to expand the scale of organic agricultural products. In addition, every kilogram of vegetables needs to go through numerous processes from harvest to sale. As long as one of these processes is wrong, the quality of the product will be inconsistent, and it may even damage the reputation and role of our platform. However, consumers’ understanding of agricultural products is still based on the standards seen in supermarkets. They often encounter consumers who judge the vegetables they receive by whether they are insect-bitten cabbage, apples with bird-bitten peels, or whether the vegetables are dark green. Whether it is fresh or not, the shelf life of organic vegetables is relatively short, we are panicked when we see a fat moth larvae, and ask us to make a replacement or refund, and it is not easy to spend time purchasing crops from local farms. Sometimes the logistics of delivering the agricultural products to consumers Operators are prone to delays, feel the difficulties of their role as a platform and the challenge of dealing with customer expectations.
In order to seek profits, some businessmen abuse the word organic and label conventional foods as organic for sale. There are also platforms that abuse claims such as local New Territories organic vegetables and mistakenly sell some agricultural products from the Chinese market inappropriately. Ordinary people may not be able to easily identify organic food based on appearance alone. In addition, local consumers are "inertial" and are attracted by bright promotional words, without verifying the integrity of suppliers and the traceability of agricultural products. There are even people allergic to pesticides who accidentally eat them. Symptoms such as diarrhea or even shock may occur later.
Due to various reasons, Hong Kong citizens have not yet established sufficient confidence in organic food. The organic certification system and government promotion alone are not enough. The sales bridge in the middle has not been perfected, and consumers' understanding and acceptance of organic food are still low. It is difficult for organic farmers to sell organic products to the market and buyers in the most ideal way. Your healthy and practical actions prove to us that Hong Kong’s organic industry still needs to continue to persevere and work hard to expand the space of the organic market.
In addition to protecting the soil environment, organic farming can also protect other biological diversity and human health. For consumers, they need quality food. However, consumer demand for local organic agricultural products is low. It will hinder the confidence of local farmers to cultivate high-quality agricultural products and the space of the organic market, forming a triangular relationship of small market space, small demand for organic agricultural products, and limited supply of organic agricultural products. Nowadays, more and more Hong Kong people pay attention to food safety. I hope that in the future, more people will be willing to buy organic vegetables, gradually develop the habit of eating local organic vegetables, and support the local organic market. At present, local organic agriculture is at a standstill. The younger generation and many middle-class consumers in Hong Kong lack concern for organic agriculture. I believe that we must strive to build the professional image of farmers, establish a system of responsibility for producers, and increase consumers’ sense of belonging to agricultural products. Only by transforming agriculture from production to a single-soil sales platform and introducing more technological elements can we inject new impetus into the industry.
You cannot make a lot of money by farming in Hong Kong, nor can you make a lot of money by building an organic agricultural products platform. You just want to earn a share of the income. So why do you still persevere and keep making progress? "When customers praise us for focusing on organic produce, I feel very satisfied. This is my greatest reward."
Li Ka Hung
Founder of Healthy Express
