A new initiative aims to streamline the purchase of locally grown produce and help local farmers meet demand.
In a significant move to support local agriculture, a first-of-its-kind demand-and-supply initiative has been launched in Singapore to address perennial issues in the agricultural industry. This initiative will help restaurants and retailers procure Singapore-grown vegetables and fish with greater ease, while providing local farmers with more certainty about future demand.
The program will involve the aggregation, processing, and distribution of vegetables and fish from local farms to buyers such as retailers and F&B establishments. This will help streamline supply chains, giving local farms a better idea of market demand and enabling buyers to secure a consistent supply of fresh produce.
The initiative was launched with a signing ceremony at the official opening of Green Harvest, a high-tech farm located at Neo Tiew Harvest Lane. This effort is in line with Singapore’s goal to locally produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs by 2030.
Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation Limited (Safef), a non-profit organization representing local farms, signed memorandums of understanding with food distributor At Fresh and the Seafood Industries Association Singapore to improve demand for locally grown produce. Together, these parties will aggregate and distribute the produce, reducing the inefficiencies that have long plagued the agricultural industry.
During the event, Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, explained the challenges both producers and buyers face. Farms often struggle to estimate future demand, making it difficult for them to plan what to grow or breed, while retailers cannot commit to purchasing the necessary quantities of produce without knowing availability in advance.
The new initiative offers a solution by creating long-term purchasing agreements that guarantee producers certainty in demand and pricing, while ensuring a steady supply of good quality produce for retailers. Ken Cheong, CEO of Safef, highlighted the initiative’s role in making it easier for buyers to meet their supply needs by simplifying the procurement process.
The initiative will also enhance local food security, a key strategy to mitigate the risk of food supply shocks. The Green Harvest farm, a joint venture between Kok Fah Technology Farm and Teambuild Construction Group, is an example of how high-tech farming can contribute to Singapore’s food security. The farm uses climate-controlled greenhouses and automated systems, improving productivity and reducing reliance on manual labor.
Green Harvest is expected to produce up to 1,500 tonnes of leafy vegetables annually, five times the average productivity of traditional farming methods. This marks a significant step in boosting local vegetable production, which accounted for only 3.9% of the vegetables consumed in Singapore in 2022. With this new initiative, Singapore aims to support local farmers and strengthen its food security strategy in a sustainable and productive manner.
