Groundbreaking Ceremony of DoMo Farm - Ms Grace Fu

1. Good morning. I am pleased to join you today for the groundbreaking ceremony of DoMo Farm, Singapore's fourth egg farm.

2. Today marks an important milestone not only for ISE Foods Holdings but also for Singapore, as we take another step forward in strengthening our food resilience.

Grow Local remains an important pillar of Singapore's food resilience

3. Food resilience is increasingly important in today’s uncertain world.

4. In recent years, global food systems have been tested with climate shocks, disease outbreaks, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions. As a country that imports most of our food, events around the world are felt on our food shelves. Strengthening our food resilience is not a matter of choice, but a matter of necessity.

5. This is why our Singapore Food Story 2, or SFS2, adopts a comprehensive approach towards food resilience. It is built on four mutually reinforcing pillars: Diversify Imports, Global Partnerships, Stockpile, and Grow Local. Together, the four pillars give Singapore the flexibility and options to respond to different types of disruptions.

6. Local production plays an important role in our SFS2. During periods of disruption, our local farms provide an additional layer and buffer by providing a domestic source of eggs, vegetables, and seafood to ensure we continue to have food on our tables.

IFH's project demonstrates how local production can strengthen resilience

7. Today, we mark the groundbreaking for ISE Foods Holdings (or IFH’s) egg farm, also, known as DoMo Farm. This project will comprise a new layer farm as well as plans for a future day-old chick production facility.

8. DoMo Farm will be highly automated, climate-controlled, fitted with environmental sensors to closely monitor farm conditions and flock performance. The farm’s integrated system for egg collection, grading, and packing will reduce the reliance on manual labour. This is further supported by an egg warehouse with a high degree of mechanisation and automation.

9. The farm will adopt solar power and advance waste treatment systems, underscoring its commitment to sustainable farming. It reflects the commitment to do more with less – to produce more food while making better use of our limited resources. It is an example of the capability we seek to build in Singapore.

10. At full production, DoMo Farm has the potential to increase the share of locally produced eggs to about half of our local consumption. Of particular significance is the development of upstream Parent Stock and Hatchery capabilities for day-old chicks’ production in its next phase. Day-old chicks play an important role in our egg farm supply chain as they grow into layer chickens that lay the eggs. The future day-old chick’s facility will strengthen Singapore’s resilience for a critical agricultural input, reducing reliance on imported day-old chicks.

Government will continue supporting local farms to build long-term capabilities

11. Earlier this year, SFA launched a new tranche of $70 million under the Agri-Food Cluster Transformation Fund 2. Local farms including DoMo Farm have tapped on the Fund to adopt technologies and build capabilities. It is our commitment to support our farms to be more productive, resilient, and commercially sustainable.

12. As we work to ramp up supply of local produce, it is just as important to ensure there is sufficient and sustained demand offtake. Businesses and retailers have an important role in supporting our local farms by using local produce. Consumers, too, can contribute by choosing local produce, thereby help sustain local farms.

13. I would like to once again congratulate the IFH team on reaching this milestone. I look forward to seeing the farm take shape in the years ahead and contribute to a more productive, resilient and sustainable food system for Singapore.

14. Thank you.