Straits Times 30 Jul 10;
A PLANNED agricultural project being jointly built by Singapore and the Chinese authorities sits at the Songhua River in Jilin province, but it is in no danger from the chemical spill, say its Singapore investors.
All the sites identified for the Jilin-Singapore Agriculture and Food Zone in Yongji County are located on high ground and upstream of the area of the spill, a Singapore Food Industries (SFI) spokesman said yesterday.
The sites are also outside the flood zones, he added.
SFI, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and Temasek Holdings subsidiary Singbridge International Singapore are collaborating with the Jilin city municipal government to build an agricultural food zone that is expected to produce foodstuffs such as pork, beef, dairy products, rice, corn and grapes.
The proposed agricultural food zone is located in Chaluhe town in north-eastern Jilin province, and is to include an integrated pig farm.
The SFI spokesman said that as the chemical spill is downstream of the food zone and no construction work has been done, the project would not be affected.
'As at yesterday afternoon, the rain has stopped and the floodwater has subsided and a massive clean-up has begun. The government of Jilin City is coping well with the situation and things are getting back to normal again,' he said.
He added: 'Water in Songhua Jiang has been tested and potable water has resumed to normal supply and is declared to be safe for use.'
