海外农场对新加坡的粮食安全至关重要

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Owning stakes in overseas farms strategically vital for food security
 

Richmond Lee
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Published: 4:16 AM, August 10, 2015

From science, we know that climate change adversely modifies weather to become more extreme, and as a consequence, some habitats degrade.

The uncertainty lies in how badly food and fresh water production will be affected in the future, in the next 50 years.

We cannot assume business-as-usual projections for the amount of water and food needed to support a possible projected population of 6.9 million by 2030 for Singapore. These statistical projections should have to take into account greater volatility in order to plan for possible outliers such as a cut in the supply of food.

Arid but resource-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia invest heavily on neighbouring coastal African nations to develop farmlands and processing plants that directly produce food for their country.

Singapore is especially vulnerable because we are neither oil-rich nor have ample land for farming.

Singapore should take a leaf from countries that produce food for themselves from “locally owned overseas farms”.

This could be done by developing capabilities and know-how on the various tiers of the food production chain: From farming to processing the fresh produce that could be shipped directly from the source to our shores.

The Government could also invest in farms and food plants in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand or Australia.

It is in our strategic interest to have the Government own stakes in overseas farms and food processing units that serve us, to secure a basic but vital need.

When we do not have land to build or invest our own farms, we need to look beyond our shores.