30x30 Express - Ramping Up Local Production to Enhance Singapore’s Food Security

30x30 Express: Ramping Up Local Production to Enhance Singapore’s Food Security

1 To adapt to the long-term challenges posed by climate change, Singapore is planning to meet 30 per cent of our nutritional needs with food produced locally by 2030, or in short “30x30”. This is our Singapore Food Story goal. The current COVID-19 situation underscores the importance of local food production, as part of Singapore’s strategies to ensure food security. Local food production mitigates our reliance on imports, and provides buffer in the event of food supply disruptions. To further strengthen food security, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will launch our plans for “30x30 Express” to accelerate the ramping up of local food production over the next six to 24 months.

New $30 million grant to support quick ramp up of local production

2 SFA is establishing a $30 million “30x30 Express” grant to support the agri-food industry to ramp up local production in eggs, leafy vegetables, and fish in the shortest possible time. These are food items that are commonly consumed in Singapore, and which Singapore already has capabilities to produce locally. The grant will accelerate our move to meet our “30x30” goal.

3 The open grant call will be launched in mid-April 2020. Local agri-food players producing the three food types will be invited to submit their proposals to ‘grow more and grow faster’. The grant call will enable the Government to crowdsource and support ideas from the agri-food industry to develop innovative approaches to grow food productively and sustainably.

4 Local agri-food players will be able to tap on the grant to defray upfront costs to accelerate their farms’ expansion in production capacity within the next six to 24 months. The grant will also provide co-funding of productivity-enhancing technology systems. Besides boosting our capabilities to produce food locally, this could potentially create more good jobs for Singaporeans in the agri-food industry and help our SMEs.

5 The new grant will complement SFA’s existing Agriculture Productivity Fund (APF), which aims to help farms modernise and harness innovative, sustainable technologies and advanced farming systems as well as co-fund test-bedding of technologies.

6 In addition, Government agencies will work together to identify alternative farming spaces, such as industrial spaces and vacant sites that can be tapped on to facilitate the ramping up of local food production. For example, SFA will launch a tender of rooftop spaces on HDB Multi-Storey Car Parks for the purpose of rooftop urban farming from May 2020 onwards.

New multi-agency taskforce to oversee ramping up of local food production

7 To support the ramping up of local food production, a multi-agency taskforce has been formed to drive and coordinate inter-agency efforts. The “30x30 Express” Taskforce is chaired by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (see Annex for list of Taskforce members).

8 The Taskforce will oversee efforts to: (i) accelerate the ramping up of local food production; (ii) address hurdles related to the setting up or expansion of farms; and (iii) ensure farms are highly productive, sustainable and resilient.

9 “Our three strategies of diversifying food imports, growing locally and growing overseas have served us well in ensuring Singapore’s food security, even during times of supply disruption. The new 30x30 Express initiative is expected to push the envelope for local farming capacity, and accelerate our efforts to reach our 30x30 goal. We will continue to work closely with the industry to strengthen the capabilities of local food production. It is important that these efforts are augmented by the support of consumers. Demand from consumers will spur our farmers to become more productive, and allow them to reap the benefits of economies of scale. This in turn will bolster our food security, and create good jobs for our people,” said Minister Masagos.

Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and

Singapore Food Agency

8 April 2020

Annex

Chair
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources

Members
Ms Indranee Rajah, Second Minister for Finance and Education

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, and the Environment and Water Resources

Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower