Vanessa Lim Channel NewsAsia 16 Jan 18;
SINGAPORE: Singapore could potentially become a test-bed to develop exportable models for food and agriculture technology (agritech) solutions, according to Senior Minister of State for National development and Trade & Industry Koh Poh Koon on Tuesday (Jan 16).
Speaking at the 3rd annual Indoor Agriculture Conference (Ag-Con) Asia, Dr Koh said Singapore's environment can help companies expand into global markets.
"We are a well-positioned and efficient logistics hub, our stringent food safety standards also generate consumer trust and allow companies exporting from Singapore to enjoy premium quality branding," said Dr Koh.
He added that the government is also currently studying the feasibility of co-locating various food-related industries in a cluster in future.
Beyond this, Dr Koh highlighted that Singapore has also cultivated deep research and development expertise in fields such as biotech and precision engineering, which can help to speed up the development of the precision agriculture and agri-biotech sector.
"We already have players in these areas like Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, which has strong capabilities in plant sciences and farming systems," said Dr Koh, adding that Singapore's strong intellectual property framework protects research findings and innovations.
As new industries may face regulatory hurdles, Dr Koh added that government agencies will work closely with companies to overcome these challenges.
Pointing to indoor farms as an example, he said that agencies had made provisions for companies to use private industrial land to kick start operations as they needed space. In addition, account managers were also introduced to facilitate interactions between the companies and other regulatory agencies.
Source: CNA/am
