Singapore considers more Indonesia vegetable imports
In his latest blog post, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said vegetable imports from traditional sources like Indonesia and Australia have fallen in the past 10 years, while China has increased its market share of vegetables in Singapore.
According to statistics from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), vegetables from China accounted for 29 per cent of total market share last year, up by 8 percentage points compared to 2002.
This has reduced Indonesia's volume of vegetable export to Singapore from 32,000 tonnes in 2002 to 21,000 tonnes last year, a 34 per cent drop.
Mr Khaw said pricing is one huge factor, and vegetables are especially price sensitive given that consumption takes place on a daily basis.
He cited how the price difference of potatoes led to a drastic drop of the produce from Indonesia. The difference between Indonesian and Chinese potatoes is about S$0.40 to S$0.65 per kilogram.
However, Mr Khaw said there is potential for Indonesia to increase exports to Singapore and the Government is working through the Indonesia-Singapore Agribusiness Working Group to see how Singapore can implement practical initiatives.
One way is to study the cost structure of Indonesian agri-produce to identify bottlenecks in exporting from Indonesia. Production sites, logistics routes and facilities for key Indonesian provinces could also be mapped.
Information exchange on the list of vegetable varieties preferred by Singapore consumers and the source of seeds for targeted vegetables can help to increase the yield and productivity of produce.
There is a possibility of more trade shows and retail exhibitions to showcase Indonesian produce.
Mr Khaw says a diversified range of food sources will give consumers more choice and lower prices as competition in increasingly added to the marketplace.
Source: todayonline.com
