Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on SG-NZ Strategic Food Partnership

Question:

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what are the (i) benefits for Singaporeans and (ii) opportunities for Singapore businesses as part of the Strategic Food Partnership with New Zealand.

Answer:

The Strategic Food Partnership (SFP) with New Zealand, which was launched in October 2025, aims to strengthen food cooperation between Singapore and New Zealand in areas such as agri-food trade and supply chains, regulations and standards, biosecurity, and research and innovation. This complements the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES), which Singapore has concluded substantive negotiations with New Zealand. Under the agreement, both sides can continue to receive essential supplies, including food items, during supply chain disruptions.

One initiative we are exploring under the SFP is to expand the existing regionalisation arrangement for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza to include other significant animal diseases, such as African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease. This would minimise trade disruptions during animal disease outbreaks and can help to maintain consistent food supplies from unaffected regions in New Zealand.

We will also look at ways to facilitate greater food trade. These could include facilitating exchanges between both countries’ public and private sector stakeholders, such as food and logistic industry players, to identify pain points, and explore solutions and commercialisation and investment opportunities.