In response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore Food Agency is actively seeking new suppliers to diversify food sources in order to ensure greater food security for the island nation. One such agreement was reached with Poland to enhance the flow of essential goods and to keep trade lines open and efficient. Following the Joint Ministerial Statement that Singapore and Poland issued on 29 May 2020, the first batch of Polish eggs from the Wozniak Group reached Singapore on 5 June 2020. This is the first time Singapore imported eggs from Poland.
Also, in the coming months, over 40 containers of Polish food supplies including eggs, frozen vegetables, and fish, as well as chocolate and non-alcoholic beverages, will be delivered to Singapore.
Besides, as part of the efforts to broaden food supplies, Singapore is also importing oranges from Egypt, milk powder from Uruguay, and shrimps from Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg. The island nation currently imports 90% of its food but has made plans to grow enough food to meet 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030.
As a country that imports over 90% of its food supply, Singapore is vulnerable to fluctuations in food supply and prices, structural supply-demand imbalances as well as food safety incidences overseas. Singapore’s approach to addressing this risk is to grow its “three food baskets” — to diversify its sources of imported food, encourage firms to grow food overseas, and expand its local produce industry. Today Singapore imports food from over 170 countries and regions around the world, up from 160 in 2007. Singapore was at the top of the Global Food Security Index of 113 countries by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2018 and 2019.
(Sources: Ministry of Trade and Industry; Bloomberg; The First News)
