SINGAPORE: The Republic is reliant on other countries in terms of food support, but diversifying food sources minimises the impact of a crisis on any single food source, said Minister of State for National Development Maliki Osman on Thursday (Aug 21).

Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food supply from about 160 countries, but it is aware of the challenges associated with food security in Asia, such as the shift towards urbanisation, decreasing food production and the loss of farming land, Dr Maliki said in his keynote speech at the International Conference on Asian Food Security.

… Professor Paul Teng, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, said: “Whatever discoveries made here can be applied in neighbouring countries. It doesn’t take long for new discoveries to be translated into products. As an urban society, we can try breeding plants that grow much better in a limited space, with limited water and sunlight.