Singapore Manufacturing Federation and the Standards Development Organization drew up a series of new agri-food standards to provide farmers with green guidelines on their processes and consumers with better assurance, as reported by Strait Times on October 31. The standards are Singapore Standards (SS) 675: 2021 Specification for Good Agriculture Practice, SS 670: 2021 Specification for Good Aquaculture Practice, and SS 676:2021 Specification for good animal husbandry practice for layer farms. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will use these standards for its Singapore Good Agricultural Practices (SG GAP) certification. So far, eight farms out of a total of 260 have received the SG GAP certification, and SFA encourages farms to comply with the standards voluntarily. 

The agri-food standards aim for best farming practices in food safety and quality, environmental management, and the health and safety of farm workers, according to the Chairman of the Food Standards Committee Dr. Allan Lim. Aligning Singapore standards with international norms will also promote locally grown products to broader markets and strengthen consumer confidence in their products and produce, Dr. Lim added. In addition, these standards would advance Singapore’s “30 by 30” plan, in which the country set a target to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030. At present, Singapore only meets 30% of its egg consumption, 4% of vegetables, and 8% of seafood with domestic production. Last year, the SFA launched an SGD60m (USD45.2m) Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund to support farms in building and expanding their production capabilities and capacities.

Sources:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/greater-assurance-for-customers-green-guidelines-for-farmers-with-new-agri-food-standards

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/budget-2021-new-60m-agri-food-cluster-transformation-fund-to-boost-local-production

https://www.ourfoodfuture.gov.sg/30by30