THE aim is to produce 30% of Singapore’s food needs by 2030.
But is that a tall order? How will farmers attract young talent to join the trade?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when food deliveries were initially disrupted by the broken logistic chains, even those with money couldn’t buy food.
If the COVID-19 situation isn’t resolved soon, will we be able to sort things out in terms of our food requirements in six months or two years, let alone by 2030?
The WED WEB CHAT — We Need Food brought together panellists Sim Bee Hia, CEO of Food From The Heart, Desmond Chow, Founder of Singapore Crawfish and Kenny Eng, Director at Gardenasia who shared their respective industry perspectives.
Given that food is a staple for life, Desmond and Kenny are optimistic about the farming industry.
Bee Hia talks about the growing number of hungry.
In 2020, S$6.53 million was spent on 53,000 people.
And hers is just one of many agencies helping out the needy.
How will we cope with food sustainability and food insecurity in Singapore?
Some excerpts from the discussion are featured here. Watch the full discussion at the end of this article.
Feeding The Needy
Are there really poor people in affluent Singapore?
This is a question Sim Bee Hia, CEO of charity organisation Food From The Heart hears quite often.
Since COVID-19 the number of needy that FFTH helps has grown significantly. And there are other organisations helping other needy families.
Food Is Cash
The perception that farmers are poor is an old one explains Desmond Chow, founder of Singapore Crawfish. The lecturer turned farmer says that in the past middlemen would make the most in the chain from farmer to customer. But with knowledge and awareness, today’s farmers are able to make a comfortable living.
He reckons since food is a daily essential, farming is the next big thing.
Who’s Going To Buy Local?
Kenny Eng of Gardenasia talks about the farming business and its importance to society.
In Singapore, where 90% of food is imported, the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains was felt when empty supermarket shelves met customers lining up for essentials.
Money couldn’t buy food!
The importance of local production was made apparent. But how to attract younger people to farming when it’s viewed as a dirty job?
Watch the full discussion of WED WEB CHAT — We Need Food! below.
Watch our previous wedwebchats: https://storm-asia.com/category/wed-web-chat/
If you have a topic that is of interest, or have someone who would make a good panellist with a thought-provoking perspective on a subject, please email editor@storm-asia.com with your details and a short summary.
