SINGAPORE – As trends such as population growth and climate change threaten global food security, Singapore must improve the resilience of its own food supply, said National Development and Defence Minister of State Mohamad Maliki Osman.

Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food supply, but diversifies its sources across 160 countries so as to spread its risks, he noted. It also encourages local production of key food items, with the Government giving technical and funding support to local farms.

“To push food production beyond the current limits, we must rely on research and development (R&D) to boost productivity,” he said on Thursday, at the opening of the second International Conference on Asian Food Security.

… The two-day conference covers topics such as food supply chains and the role of regional co-operation in Asia for food security. It is organised by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and supported by organisations such as Singapore’s Ministry of National Development and the National Security Coordination Secretariat, as well as the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia.