Impact of Anticipated Drought and Bushfires in Australia on Singapore's Food Import

17 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how the anticipated drought and bushfires hitting Australia at the end of the year may affect Singapore's food imports from the country; and (b) how will such impact on food supply be mitigated.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: Our key food imports from Australia include vegetables, meat and wheat. The Australian government is confident that Australia’s export position for agriculture in 2023 remains strong.

In the wake of climate change, we can expect extreme weather conditions to affect global food supply. To prevent and mitigate the impact of such disruptions, the Government adopts a multi-pronged strategy involving import diversification, stockpiling and local production. At present, we import food from over 180 countries and regions. We are also developing our local agri-food industry to grow more food locally, as a buffer during supply disruptions.

As Singapore imports more than 90% of our food, we will not be able to insulate ourselves entirely from supply chain disruptions. We encourage consumers to be flexible and adaptable to different food types and forms and for the industry to maintain robust contingency plans to adapt to the evolving conditions.