SINGAPORE: Though local food produce costs more than imported ones, Ms Doreen Chan still believes she is getting more bang for her buck by buying local, as they are “fresher” and “better in quality”. “I like hydroponic vegetables because they are much cleaner to me,' said the 76-year-old, who wor
SINGAPORE: Though local food produce costs more than imported ones, Ms Doreen Chan still believes she is getting more bang for her buck by buying local, as they are “fresher” and “better in quality”.
For most of them, the price difference caused by high local production costs is significant enough to make supporting local products difficult. In her speech, Ms Fu highlighted Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal, which was announced in 2019, to produce 30 per cent of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030.
“As the local agri-tech industry is relatively nascent, we do not intend to fix the targets for each food item under the ‘30 by 30’ goal at this stage.” According to food security experts, the price difference is an issue that needs to be addressed if Singapore wants to achieve the “30 by 30” target. The production cost in Singapore is much higher than our neighbouring countries, easily three times higher than in Malaysia, said Mr Melvin Tan, director of fish farm Blue Ocean Harvest.
“We have to pay substantial amounts of fees yearly to be certified and audited for food safety, which imported produce are not subjected to since they undergo a different system of quality control and food safety,” said Mr Hay, adding that it costs about S$2 million per year to run the farm. “The extreme temperature recently has posed some challenges in maintaining product quality. To lower the temperature for our crops, we have been watering more frequently, which increases our water bill charges,” Ms Woon said.Fish farmers who farm in open seas, like Blue Ocean Harvest, are also affected by climate change.
“It’s not right to assume that all local produce costs more. If you compare our products against certain competitors like China and Malaysia, our prices are slightly higher, but not if you compare with similar produce from Australia, the United States or European countries,” he said. It features 29 local farms, of which the bulk of the produce, or 69 per cent, constitutes vegetables, while 14 per cent are eggs and dairy products, and 17 per cent seafood.
Mr Ray Poh, founder and managing director of indoor hydroponics Artisan Green, said that his products, which are baby leaf greens, herbs and microgreens, generally cost between S$1 and S$2 more by weight compared to similar produce imported from regional countries. Another consumer, Ms Afifah Shameemah, supports the idea of buying local, but in practice she would opt for whichever produce that is “value for money”.
Local production is key to Singapore's food security strategy, as it helps to mitigate the impact of supply disruptions and reduce reliance on imported food, the agency said in response to TODAY's queries. It added that it adopts multiple strategies to increase uptake of local produce and support local food producers.An award for hotels, restaurants and catering establishments which procure at least 15 per cent of local produce in dollar value under a Farm-To-Table Recognition Programme
But Associate Professor Matthew Tan, an aquaculture expert at James Cook University, is optimistic that the goal can be achieved, provided that farmers are given adequate support. “We must then find a balance between maintaining our stance as a free port, while also increasing support for local farmers, so that we can achieve 30 per cent food self-sufficiency by 2030.”
He wears several hats at the university, including as director of its Food Science and Technology Programme. Agreeing, Assoc Prof Tan said: “We can achieve 30 by 30, and we have to. We are lucky that we have enough food in our generation. We must ensure that our future children have the same luxury. This is about investing in their future.”BETTER MARKETING, FARM-TO-TABLE CONCEPT TO BOOST DEMAND
"I think it works because our loyal customers tell us they are willing to pay more for our produce since they are fresher and last longer.” One consumer told TODAY that he would choose local over imported produce if they are branded as a healthier choice. “Our advantage as local farmers is that we are faster in providing our products, and can cater to urgent or last-minute orders,” said Ms Woon from bean sprouts and soybean sprouts farm Ser Poh Farming and Trading.
Mr Tan of Blue Ocean Harvest said that since 2021, Blue Ocean Group has established three food and beverage outlets specialising in Chinese cuisine, particularly fish soup, which uses fish harvested from the farm. “We currently have 150 regular monthly subscribers, but our farm has the capacity to handle 250 so we hope to get more consumers to sign up.”
Quality is a major push factor for sourcing produce locally for some establishments, such as Resorts World Sentosa , a recipient of SFA’s highest tier Farm-To-Table Recognition Programme.
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