4th SIAW Global Agri-Food Scientific Symposium - Mr Zaqy Mohamad

1. It is my pleasure to join you at the fourth Global Agri-Food Scientific Symposium. This is a good platform for us to exchange knowledge and strengthen our collective capabilities across the agri-food sector. 

2. This year’s theme, “Building a Resilient Food Future”, underscores our shared commitment to advancing food innovation and building resilient food systems in an increasingly dynamic world. 

Global food production in a changing climate – Why local production matters

3. Singapore imports more than 90 percent of our food, leaving us vulnerable to external shocks and supply disruptions. Factors such as climate change and disease outbreaks are reshaping global food production, challenging the systems that have underpinned food security for decades. 

   1. Heatwaves, storms and droughts are intensifying worldwide, whilst Southeast Asia faces projected higher temperatures and more severe extreme weather that directly threaten agricultural production. 

   2. Furthermore, disease outbreaks can disrupt food supplies with little warning. Just this September, we suspended poultry imports from Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom due to avian flu outbreaks, demonstrating how quickly supply chains can be disrupted.

4. Given this reality, we must ensure a reliable supply of safe food for Singapore. We adopt a multi-pronged approach to enhance Singapore’s food resilience under the Singapore Food Story 2, which was announced by Minister Grace Fu yesterday. It comprises four key pillars, namely: (i) diversifying import sources; (ii) growing local; (iii) stockpiling and (iv) global partnerships. These four pillars work together to ensure a resilient and safe food supply for Singapore. 

5. Growing local continues to be an important pillar in our food security strategy, to give us an assured and regenerative source of fresh food during supply disruptions.

Science and technology as an enabler

6. As a small country with limited space and resources, the challenge for local food production is in the productivity and costs of local food production. Hence, to enable the industry to be more productive and market competitive, Singapore needs to harness science and technology to develop cutting-edge solutions. 

7. To achieve this, we launched the Singapore Food Story (SFS) R&D Programme in 2020 to leverage technology that is fit for purpose for our farms, plug technology gaps and drive research in urban agriculture, aquaculture, future foods and food safety. 

Progress of Phase 1 of the SFS R&D Programme

8. The first phase of the SFS R&D Programme consisting of $144 million was awarded to 66 projects before mid-2023. I am happy to announce that all projects have concluded recently.

9. We have achieved early successes which have been instrumental in building our local capabilities and establishing the groundwork for future innovation. These include the development of new crop varieties suited for urban farming, improved fish disease management strategies, and new cultivated meat cell lines that have led to the emergence of future foods spin-offs, positioning Singapore at the forefront of food innovation. 

10. We have also trained 200 research scientists and engineers, including postgraduates and industry professionals. This builds a robust local talent pipeline that can drive our agri-food sector forward for years to come. This is complemented by the development of industry-relevant research capabilities, fostered through over 60 industry collaborations, which are key to converting research breakthroughs into commercially successful applications.

11. These developments strengthen our food security whilst establishing Singapore as an agri-food innovation hub. Building on these foundations, we have now progressed to the second phase of our journey with the SFS R&D Programme.

Transition to Phase 2 of the SFS R&D Programme

12. We subsequently launched Phase 2 of the SFS R&D Programme in the second half of 2023 with an additional $165 million in funding. Phase 2 of the SFS R&D Programme leverages our earlier efforts and takes a more targeted approach, focusing on improving productivity and reducing costs for local production, which are the two critical factors that will determine the long-term viability of Singapore's food production capabilities. These targeted investments are set to deliver improvements in productivity and cost-effectiveness, advancing Singapore's food production capabilities.

13. Among the most promising developments are two major initiatives that showcase the potential of our enhanced R&D approach. First, the Seed Innovation Hub and second, AquaPolis. Let me elaborate.

Improving urban crops productivity 

14. In land scarce Singapore, every square metre of space must work harder for us. The intensifying impact of climate change has also accelerated the sense of urgency for urban farming. However, this sector faces significant challenges on two fronts – first, existing seeds are unsuitable for indoor production, and second, high operating costs have limited the commercial viability and scalability of farms. Therefore, there is a need to enhance production and increase yields through technology and efficient resource use to enable farms to produce more with less land and less energy, and ultimately, at a lower cost.  

15. Under Phase 1 of the SFS R&D Programme, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have collected more than 800 varieties of leafy vegetables from diverse sources worldwide. This comprehensive collection serves as a valuable resource for developing new crop varieties and attracts key industry leaders and seedbanks for research collaboration. 

16. The research has produced tangible results. The team has developed novel Choy Sum and Kale varieties, which has achieved about 20 per cent higher yields compared to traditional varieties. These new varieties have undergone successful trials with farms like Singrow, a positive demonstration of how research can translate and progress to market implementation. 

17. Today, I am pleased to announce the award of $22 million for the Seed Innovation Hub (SIH) programme under Phase 2 of the SFS R&D Programme, which will transform and boost Singapore's urban farming.  

    1. First, the SIH will boost farm productivity by developing higher quality seeds tailored for tropical climates and controlled environment agriculture settings, with superior traits such as enhanced growth, yield and nutritional value. Researchers will also develop efficient breeding strategies to accelerate plant genetic improvement, meeting the evolving needs of local farmers while staying ahead of global competition. 

    2. Second, SIH expands beyond Choy Sum and Kale to grow higher-value crops such as fruited crops like capsicum, brinjal, cucumbers, and specialty greens like arugula and amaranth. By selecting crops with broader appeal and commercial viability, SIH creates scalable solutions that extend beyond Singapore's domestic market. 

    3. Third, SIH serves as a key platform for R&D and commercial partnerships, bringing together leading international and local companies including Syngenta and New Agri-Seed. This collaborative approach ensures our innovations translate into practical solutions that benefit both local farmers and global seed innovation markets.

Strengthening aquaculture production

18. Next, in the aquaculture sector today, much of our local fish farming depends on imported fry, which often face inconsistent quality and low survival rates. This limits the efficiency and resilience of our production, and in turn raises costs for farmers. We can enhance farm productivity and disease resilience by developing genetically superior fry and fingerlings that can grow faster and survive better under tropical conditions, as well as cost-effective feed and vaccines to improve fish health and quality.

19. Under Phase 1 of the SFS R&D Programme,

    1. We have developed genomic tools to identify desirable traits such as faster growth rates and disease resistance for breeding of Asian seabass and red snapper. 

    2. We created a vaccine with 75 per cent efficacy against Scale Drop Disease Virus, addressing one of the biggest health challenges facing local farms and potentially saving farms from substantial losses due to disease outbreaks. 

    3. We also developed feeds enriched with probiotics and nutrients that improve Asian seabass fingerling growth rates by 25 per cent, directly addressing the cost and efficiency challenges local farmers face. 

20. These developments contribute to more robust aquaculture operations, translating to greater farm productivity and lower operational costs. Early improvements in growth rates and disease resistance create lasting benefits throughout the entire production cycle, enhancing overall farm profitability.

21. To better synergise our R&D efforts and drive adoption by our aquaculture industry, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), NUS and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory established AquaPolis under Phase 2 of the SFS R&D Programme. This platform brings together researchers and fish farmers to drive innovation, develop talent, and speed up the use of new technologies.

22. I am happy to announce that AquaPolis will receive $18.5 million in funding to lower production costs and improve the quality of locally produced Asian seabass. The research team will use the findings from Phase 1 of the SFS R&D Programme to develop next-generation parasite-resistant fingerlings through selective breeding. This is complemented with disease management strategies to reduce mortality rates, and advanced feeding strategies which enhance the nutritional value of fish fillets to make our local produce more competitive than imports.

23. These objectives will be achieved through a holistic approach that incorporates breeding, nutrition, and disease management, while leveraging multidisciplinary expertise from eight major research institutions and 19 key industry collaborators.

24. Crucially, research outcomes will be directly implemented in local farms through SFA’s National Broodstock Centre (NBC) and Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme (HDRP). The NBC maintains genetically superior broodstock and produces high-quality eggs, while the HDRP supports local hatcheries in raising these eggs into healthy fingerlings for farming. Together, they translate research into practical benefits for farmers by providing a steady local supply of high-quality fingerlings for Asian seabass, reducing reliance on imports and ensuring our innovations strengthen local food production.

25. All these efforts will move Singapore one step closer towards being a regional leader in sustainable aquaculture, demonstrating how strategic research investment and industry collaboration can transform challenges into competitive advantages.

Undergirding R&D work – International Collaborations & Ecosystem Building

26. Our local research ecosystem cannot operate in a vacuum.  It must stay current with latest global developments and be open to fresh perspectives through international collaborations. 

27. SFA is collaborating with leading overseas institutions through the National Research Foundation’s Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) to anchor their capabilities and technical expertise in Singapore. SFA has also been facilitating connections between CREATE researchers and local industry collaborators for downstream pilots, ensuring that research translates into practical applications.

28. One example is the Disruptive Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision programme which brings together researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and local institutions, to develop diagnostic tools that enable early detection of plant stress and diseases, with trials underway at local farms.

29. These partnerships demonstrate how international collaboration accelerates innovation and strengthens our food security capabilities. We must continue fostering collaboration as we prepare for future challenges.

Looking ahead

30. While we have achieved significant milestones in the SFS R&D Programme, more is being done. We are already developing new plans for the next phase of the SFS R&D Programme, which will place greater emphasis on securing our upstream value chain and strengthening our food supply resilience to better support the next chapter of our food security plan – the Singapore Food Story 2 which I mentioned earlier.

31. The next phase of the SFS R&D Programme will expand research into development of higher value inputs such as fish fry, fingerlings and seeds, to support commercially sustainable local production of fish and leafy greens. There will also be continued efforts to drive scalable and cost-efficient cell-based meat and precision fermentation, and non-animal-based toxicological assessments tailored for the Asian genetic profile. This ensures Singapore is well-prepared to seize opportunities when the Future Foods industry accelerates globally, while advancing safety assessment methods that better protect our consumers. 

32. To strengthen our stockpiling strategy, we will also introduce a new research domain on food resilience, focusing on climate-induced risk assessment and mitigation systems, and optimised food storage solutions.

Conclusion

33. Singapore will continue to invest in R&D and build partnerships with local and international researchers and industry stakeholders to strengthen our food security and create a vibrant agri-food ecosystem.

34. Enhancing our agri-food capabilities through sustained research and innovation is critical given the constraints that we face. We are also happy to share our experiences and contribute to the wider international landscape. 

35. I invite all of you to participate in building the next bound of our capabilities in the agri-food space.

36. Thank you.