‘30 by 30’ farming goal ditched, revised targets set for 2035

Singapore Food Story 2 aims for food resilience – ensuring sufficient food supply in times of disruption. It replaces “30-by-30", which is an aspiration only for local production.

Revised targets are for local farms to supply by 2035: 20% of local consumption of fibre (fresh leafy and fruited vegetables, beansprouts and mushrooms); and 30% of local consumption of protein (eggs and seafood).

Local seafood farms contribution has been falling: 6.1 per cent of total food consumption in 2024, down from 7.3 per cent in 2023 and 7.6 per cent in 2022. There were 72 sea-based farms, a drop from the figure of 98 in 2023.

Local production will be complemented by import diversification and stockpiling. And to better respond to the increasing interconnectedness in agri-food trade, a fourth pillar on “Global Partnerships” will also be developed.

Media articles below

Singapore drops ‘30 by 30’ farming goal, sets revised targets for fibre and protein by 2035

Shabana Begum Straits Times Nov 04, 2025, 09:25 AM

SINGAPORE - Singapore has replaced its original 2030 farming goal with new targets for fibre and protein production by 2035, amid headwinds confronting the local agricultural sector.

At the same time, the Government is also exploring new ways to help local farms boost production and stay viable. It will, for instance, be studying the feasibility of developing a facility that can host multiple farms, and provide common utilities and shared services to lower production costs.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu announced the revised targets and new initiatives at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit on Nov 4.

This follows a year-long review of the goal for Singapore to, by 2030, locally produce 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs, which include fish, eggs and vegetables.

One of the new targets is for Singapore to, by 2035, produce 20 per cent of the country’s consumption of fibre – a category that comprises leafy and fruited vegetables, bean sprouts and mushrooms, said Ms Fu. These items can be commercially produced in Singapore.

Another goal is for local production of protein – a category that now comprises both eggs and seafood – to meet 30 per cent of total domestic consumption within the same timeline.

In 2024, about 8 per cent of fibre consumed in the Republic was produced domestically. The figure for protein stood at 26 per cent, according to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

However, in June, a report on food statistics for 2024 produced by the SFA showed that only 3 per cent of vegetables consumed here were farmed locally.

SFA clarified that the fibre category now includes fewer vegetable types, with rooted veggies and bulbs omitted. Hence, the 2024 percentage was derived to be 8 per cent.

The June report had also shown that 34.4 per cent of eggs and 6.1 per cent of seafood consumed here were farmed locally in 2024.

SFA said the 26 per cent figure for protein was derived by combining the proportion of locally produced eggs and a smaller group of seafood, specifically fish and crustaceans.

Singapore’s food production aspirations

The original “30 by 30” goal was announced in 2019. That was before the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the associated supply chain breakdowns impacted the sector, and investor confidence in innovative farming techniques was high.

“We acknowledged that this was a challenging aspiration given our small and under-developed agri-food sector, our limited land resources and high operating cost environment,” said Ms Fu at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the venue for the Singapore International Agri-Food Week.

About 1 per cent of land in Singapore is set aside for agricultural purposes.

But local farms have in recent years been plagued with a series of setbacks, from production declines to farm closures – especially for high-tech greens and aquaculture farms.

In the past couple of years, some agri-tech firms such as I.F.F.I and VertiVegies have had to shut down or scrap plans to set up indoor farms. A quarter of sea-based farms exited in 2024 because of the higher costs of maintaining the farms and the need to pay for the use of sea spaces under a recent scheme, among other reasons.

Ms Fu said: “Our local agri-food sector, like their peers in other countries, has faced headwinds – supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures on energy and manpower costs, and a tougher financing environment.

“This has led to delays in farm development and some exits, even as we witnessed new start-ups.”

With food security being critical for Singapore, Ms Fu outlined the nation’s new four-pronged strategy to ensure this. It comprises diversifying imports, local production, stockpiling, and a new pillar called global partnerships.

Global partnerships refer to government-to-government agreements with countries to strengthen food trade.

Some of the pacts could provide assurance that there would not be trade restrictions imposed on food items. Such an incident happened in 2022, when Malaysia imposed a chicken export ban for a few months as it was struggling to meet its own poultry needs.

This assurance sets this new pillar apart from Singapore’s primary food security strategy of diversifying its imports. The Republic currently imports food from more than 180 countries.

In October, Singapore forged the first of such deals with Vietnam on rice and with New Zealand on essential food items.

“We are also exploring other international partnerships to boost our food security and will share more information when ready,” said Ms Fu.

Stockpiling, the final pillar of Singapore’s food security approach, provides ready food stocks but is limited to food with longer shelf life, such as rice, frozen chicken and canned food.
Not giving up on local farms

Ms Fu said that to further support urban farms and help reduce their production costs – a key obstacle preventing many from scaling up – SFA is doing a feasibility study on a multi-tenant facility where multiple types of farms can operate under one roof and share resources.

If this facility – which could possibly be government-owned – is realised, it could be the first of its kind in the world, said SFA chief executive Damian Chan in an interview with the media on Oct 30, ahead of the announcements.

The types of farms could include land-based aquaculture and greenhouses, he said.

If farms’ production costs are reduced with the facility, local farmers can lower the prices of their produce and increase sales, he added. The shared services in the facilities could include centralised utilities, packing and processing areas, and logistics.

“It will also help lower the regulatory hurdles which today many of our farms are facing when they want to start up new farms here in Singapore, and, of course, lower some of their initial investment costs as well,” said Mr Chan.

This feasibility study is expected to take one to 1½ years, and SFA has started engaging farms that could be potential tenants, he said. 

This facility is separate from the Lim Chu Kang high-tech agri-food hub that is still being looked into.

The 390ha hub was announced in 2020, but in late 2024, it was reported that this Lim Chu Kang master plan, as well as construction work for the neighbouring Agri-Food Innovation Park, was delayed.

SFA said: “The feasibility study of the pilot multi-tenanted facility will inform longer-term plans to intensify limited agricultural land at Lim Chu Kang and support farms to grow in a climate-resilient and commercially viable manner.”

The study joins a slew of other initiatives that have started in recent months to help local farms cope with the upheaval in the sector. These include a programme to supply farms with healthier eggs and baby fish, and ways to link farmers with consistent customers like eateries and supermarkets.

Cultivated protein not part of food security strategy

At the height of the optimism in the agri-food sector, Singapore also made headlines around the world in 2020 for being the first country to approve the sale of a cultivated meat product.

But since then, the alternative protein industry – which includes cultivated and plant-based products – has faced hurdles in scaling up due to higher production costs and weaker-than-expected consumer acceptance globally, Ms Fu said.

Thus, alternative protein will not be part of Singapore’s food security strategy in the short term, SFA said.

“In the longer term, if and when alternative proteins become more competitive and mainstream globally, it can potentially contribute to our food security. In the meantime, we will press on with efforts in R&D and industry development for this sector,” added the agency.

The revised food security targets and longer runway till 2035 will reduce the time pressure faced by farmers, some players in the agri-tech sector told The Straits Times.

The new targets are a pragmatic response to real headwinds, but they can be achievable only if policies, regulatory support and financing accelerate, said Associate Professor Matthew Tan from the Singapore Institute of Technology.

Prof Tan, who has expertise in applied sustainability practices and protocols for the agri-food industry, said the new targets are “more feasible but still considered ambitious”.

For instance, adding 4 percentage points to protein supply by 2035 is not trivial as it will require focused policies. These could include targeted funding and farming overseas to boost seafood supply, without needing all production to happen in Singapore, he said.

Prof Tan also noted that vegetable production has to rise by 9.5 per cent each year, while managing costs, energy use, labour, inputs and consumer demand.

Singapore replaces '30 by 30' food sustainability goal with targets for specific food categories
The new targets are for local farms to supply 20 per cent of the local consumption of fibre and 30 per cent of the local consumption of protein by 2035.
Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia  04 Nov 2025 09:30AM(Updated: 04 Nov 2025 09:28PM)

SINGAPORE: Singapore will replace its "30 by 30" food sustainability goal with new targets for specific food types amid a move to refresh the country's food resilience strategy, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (Nov 4).

Speaking on the first day of the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit, Ms Fu said that the goals will be for specific food categories that take into account the strengths of the local farming ecosystem as well as the potential for growth in supply.

"Six years ago, we embarked on the '30 by 30' vision for a grow local strategy to build food supply resilience. We acknowledged that this was a challenging aspiration given our small and undeveloped agri-food sector, our limited land resources and high operating cost environment," she said.

"Yet, building up local production was necessary to provide an assured and regenerative source of food during supply disruptions. Together with other pillars of our food strategy, it gives us more options and flexibility in times of need. Collectively, that was the Singapore Food Story strategy."

The new targets are for local farms to supply 20 per cent of the local consumption of fibre and 30 per cent of the local consumption of protein by 2035, said Ms Fu.

Items within the fibre category include fresh leafy and fruited vegetables, bean sprouts and mushrooms, while items within the protein category include eggs and seafood.

As of 2024, local consumption of Singapore-produced food items in the fibre category stands at 8 per cent and 26 per cent in the protein category.

The "30 by 30" goal – to be able to locally produce 30 per cent of Singapore's nutritional needs by 2030 – was set by authorities in 2019. However, there have been a number of setbacks to this over the years.

"Our local agri-food sector, like their peers in other countries, has faced headwinds – supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures on energy and manpower costs, and a tougher financing environment. This has led to delays in farm development and some exits, even as we witnessed new start-ups," said Ms Fu.

"Another grow local segment, the alternative protein industry, has faced hurdles in scaling up due to higher production costs and weaker-than-expected consumer acceptance globally."

Singapore's refreshed food resilience strategy builds on the three aspects of the Singapore Food Story – the "30 by 30" vision, import diversification and stockpiling.

Called "Singapore Food Story 2", it will also include a new pillar – global partnerships – which will be aimed at responding more effectively to the increasing interconnectedness in agri-food trade.

One example of this is the memorandum of cooperation on rice trade that Singapore and Vietnam signed on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week late last month.

The agreement will see Vietnam support the unimpeded export of a mutually agreed quantity of rice to Singapore on agreed terms when requested by the government.

"We can complement local production with other food strategies to achieve food resilience. We have reassessed our needs, our resources and our capabilities," said Ms Fu. "And with these considerations, we are expanding our portfolio of strategies."

MULTI-TENANTED FARM FACILITIES?

Earlier this year, a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) report said that the local production of vegetables and seafood continued to fall in 2024, while egg yields grew.

Vegetable production fell by about 3 per cent, while the figure for seafood dropped by 14 per cent in 2024. This was partly due to the "restructuring of a few fish farms in Singapore", SFA said in its Singapore Food Statistics report.

Last year, 3 per cent of vegetables consumed were grown in Singapore, down from 3.2 per cent in 2023 and 3.9 per cent in 2022. Local seafood farms contributed 6.1 per cent of total food consumption in 2024, down from 7.3 per cent in 2023 and 7.6 per cent in 2022.

The number of farms also fell. In 2024, there were 153 farms on land, three fewer than the year before. There were 72 sea-based farms, a drop from the figure of 98 in 2023.

Singapore's three egg farms produced 34.4 per cent of all eggs consumed in Singapore in 2024. This is up from 31.9 per cent in 2023 and 28.9 per cent in 2022.

However, Ms Fu said that Singapore has "made progress" in growing local since 2019.

She pointed out that locally produced hen shell eggs and bean sprouts now contribute more than 30 per cent and 50 per cent of local consumption, respectively. Additionally, from 2019 to 2024, the productivity of local farms increased by 10, 17 and 50 per cent for vegetables, seafood and eggs, respectively, she added.

To reduce production costs of locally produced food items, authorities are exploring the feasibility of developing a pilot multi-tenanted facility for agri-food production, added Ms Fu.

"This facility could offer the farms plug-and-play tenanted space so that they can reduce start-up costs and capital needed; common utilities and shared services, which could lower production costs, indoor production facility with controlled environments that will offer greater climate resilience and reduce business risk of our farms," she said.

"Such projects will help intensify the use of our limited agricultural land, although we will continue to make land and sea space available through the government sales."

A feasibility study is underway and is expected to be completed within the next one and a half years, SFA chief executive officer Damian Chan told reporters.

Authorities have also started engagement with potential tenants, he added.

"As the global food supply landscape evolves, our refreshed approach in the four pillars of our food story and that's growing local, diversifying import sources, stockpiling and global partnerships – will provide better assurance that future generations of Singapore will continue to have a resilient supply of safe food," said Ms Fu.

"As we look towards the future, strengthening our food supply resilience will require more than just reinforcing what we already have – it calls for us to learn from experience, to innovate and to take collective action."

Minister Grace Fu's speech at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit (Singapore International Agri-Food Week) 4 Nov 2025
SFA website

THREATS TO FOOD SUPPLY RESILIENCE

Given climate change and geopolitical developments, countries are increasingly vulnerable to global shocks and disruptions in our food supply. In recent years, we have seen how a single event could send ripple effects through the global market, disrupting the supply of food on our tables. The Russia-Ukraine conflict showed this clearly. It is happening miles away from Singapore. Yet, by disrupting the global supply of fertilisers and animal feed, the conflict indirectly triggered export restrictions on food items in Singapore.

This is why food supply resilience has been a major concern for many countries, including Singapore. We have been looking ahead to anticipate new risks and stay resilient in an ever-changing world.

Six years ago, we embarked on the “30-by-30” vision for a grow local strategy to build food supply resilience. We acknowledged that this was a challenging aspiration given our small and undeveloped agri-food sector, our limited land resources and high operating cost environment. Yet building up local production was necessary to provide an assured and regenerative source of food during supply disruptions. Together with other pillars of our food strategy, it gives us more options and flexibility in times of need. Collectively, that was the Singapore Food Story strategy.

Since then, we have had to deal with the impact of supply disruptions caused by border closures due to COVID-19, export bans by some countries and animal diseases. Over the years, we have gained resolve to secure our food supply. We have made progress in building our food security and gained experience in growing the industry. We have strengthened import diversification, increasing the number of import sources that importers can tap on. We have expanded our stockpiles. We have also been putting in place the building blocks to grow the local agri-food sector. These include planning for land and infrastructure, supporting ecosystem growth through the adoption of technology and better farming practices, and encouraging offtake of local produce.

SINGAPORE FOOD STORY 2

We are now ready for the next chapter of our food security plan – the Singapore Food Story 2. Singapore Food Story 2 aims to bring about overall food resilience – ensuring we have sufficient food supply in times of disruption. It replaces “30-by-30", which is an aspiration only for local production. We can complement local production with other food strategies to achieve food resilience. We have re-assessed our needs, our resources, and our capabilities. And with these considerations, we are expanding our portfolio of strategies. To better respond to the increasing interconnectedness in agri-food trade, we have also further developed a fourth pillar on “Global Partnerships”.

GROWING LOCAL

First, growing local. It remains an important pillar of our food security plan.

Since we began in 2019, we have made progress. Locally produced hen shell eggs and beansprouts now contribute more than 30% and 50% of local consumption, respectively. Productivity of our farms has improved. From 2019 to 2024, the productivity of our farms increased by 10%, 17% and 50% for vegetables, seafood, and eggs, respectively. Farms which managed to innovate and harness technology have adapted and grown.

Our local agri-food sector, like their peers in other countries, has faced headwinds – supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures on energy and manpower costs, and a tougher financing environment. This has led to delays in farm development and some exits, even as we witnessed new start-ups.

Another grow local segment, the alternative protein industry, has faced hurdles in scaling up due to higher production costs and weaker than expected consumer acceptance globally.

Drawing from our experience over the past five years, we have re-assessed our local production strategy to be more targeted. Previously, under the 30-by-30 strategy, we had aspired to develop the capability and capacity to produce 30% of our nutritional needs. But this did not mean that we had to produce every food item on our plates. That would be neither efficient nor possible in land-scarce Singapore. For example, we did not grow rice as it was very land intensive and not feasible to do so in Singapore. Likewise, under our revised targets, by 2035, we aim to have our local farms supply: 20% of our local consumption of fibre, which refers to fresh leafy and fruited vegetables, beansprouts and mushrooms; and 30% of our local consumption of protein, which refers to eggs and seafood.

These goals take into account the strengths of our local farming eco-system, and the potential for growth in supply.

At the same time, our local production efforts for fibre and protein will be complemented by other pillars such as import diversification and stockpiling. We will also rely on these pillars to ensure the supply resilience of food types that we do not produce, such as rice and protein such as poultry. I will elaborate on these strategies later.

With this new focus on local production, we will sharpen our strategies. First, we will help our farms manage production costs. Our farms face rising operating costs. While we cannot control energy costs and global inflation, we can help our farms lower production costs by taking the following steps.

We are studying the feasibility of developing a pilot multi-tenanted facility for agri-food production, which for a start could be Government-owned. This facility could offer farms plug-and-play tenanted spaces so that they can reduce start-up costs and capital needed; common utilities and shared services which could lower production costs; indoor production facility with controlled environments that will offer greater climate resilience and reduce business risk of our farmers. Such projects will help intensify the use of our limited agricultural land, although we will continue to make land and sea space available through the Government Sales.

Second, fund our farms in building capability. Technology and innovation are enablers that boost farm productivity, build resilience and be future-ready. Our Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund provides co-funding for local farms to adopt farming technologies and upgrade their capabilities. As of 31 October this year, more than $40 million has been awarded to 135 projects. These projects range from manpower-saving technologies like automated irrigation and dosing system to climate-resilient technologies like Controlled Environment Agriculture system. We will continue to conduct research and development through the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme, for which over $300 million has been made available, including for research in aquaculture and agriculture. Some notable achievements include improved fish feeds that have boosted fish growth by 25%; new vaccines that have halved disease mortality rates; genetic editing in crops like choy sum and kale that has improved yield by 20%; and smart sensors in crop production systems that have enabled real-time crop monitoring and pest control.

Third, strengthen supply resilience of our inputs. Last year, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) launched the National Broodstock Centre, and the Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme to produce superior eggs and fingerlings for Asian Seabass and Marine Tilapia. Four local hatcheries have obtained recognition under the Programme. We plan to expand the Programme to red snapper. In addition, we plan to work with the industry to expand the local supply of quality eggs and post-larvae for grouper and shrimp, respectively. These locally produced farming inputs will help to raise grow-out rates, disease resistance and production yield. By fostering collaboration among research institutions, suppliers, and growers, we will develop a stronger eco-system for resilient farming inputs.

Fourth, enhance offtake. Our growers need demand offtake to be commercially viable. Besides raising greater awareness for local produce through our marketing and outreach efforts, we will continue to work with the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF) to facilitate offtake from local farms. Over the last one and a half years, SAFEF has successfully aggregated local produce. The “SG Farmers’ Market” and “The Straits Fish” are now sold at all major supermarkets. Sales for Xiao Bai Cai under the “SG Farmers’ Market” brand have increased about sevenfold since its launch in May 2024. Moving forward, SAFEF will be expanding the range of “The Straits Fish” brand to other seafood including Asian seabass and shrimp. Besides retailers, SAFEF will also market its aggregated local produce to the Hotels, Restaurants and Caterers sector. Restaurants such as Joy of Fish in Joo Chiat and Coriander Leaf offer local produce options on their menu.

These strategies will require time and hard work to succeed. The Government will work closely with the industry and consumers to support local production.

DIVERSIFYING IMPORTS

Diversifying our import sources is the second pillar of the Singapore Food Story 2. Over the years, we have strengthened our food supply networks by partnering industry and other Governments around the world to find new sources. Today, our importers leverage on our strong trade connectivity to import food from over 180 countries and regions. We facilitate B-to-B links between our local importers and overseas suppliers through sourcing trips and accreditation of new country sources. I encourage our importers to maintain a diversified network of suppliers for business continuity planning considerations. Your efforts will help us to collectively reduce our source concentration and improve our agility in sourcing in times of need.

On our part, the Government will strengthen our safeguards for supply. We will continue to streamline our accreditation processes and explore regionalisation arrangements with suitable sources. Doing so will allow us to continue our food imports from unaffected areas, in the event of disease outbreaks in one country. This arrangement has helped us avert disruptions in poultry supply when Brazil had a bird flu outbreak in May this year. We could continue to import Brazilian poultry from farms that were not located in areas affected by the disease outbreak, thus averting supply disruptions and avoiding price fluctuations while ensuring food safety.

STOCKPILE

The third pillar of our food security plan is stockpiling. We have been building up our capacity to stockpile essential food items. This is done in close partnership with the private sector as they bring business efficiency to what is a national security imperative.

One of the commodities that we stockpile is rice. Rice is a food staple that is difficult to produce locally given the land and resources needed. We have expanded our stockpile items to frozen protein and canned vegetables since COVID-19.

We are working with the industry to stockpile more effectively, while developing new capabilities in warehousing and logistics practices.

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

The fourth, and new pillar, is to establish deeper global partnerships in ensuring food security. Global partnerships are more essential now, as supply chains face the risk of fragmentation.

We will strengthen G to G relations with like-minded countries to safeguard flows of food to Singapore. Singapore and New Zealand concluded substantive negotiations on the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies last month, providing assurance that both sides can continue to receive essential supplies, including important food items, during supply chain disruptions. Both countries also established a Strategic Food Partnership, which aims to build resilient agri-food systems, drive food science and innovation, and facilitate agri-food trade. We have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Rice Trade with Vietnam just a few days ago. As a major rice producer, Vietnam has been our major trading partner. We have now taken this further by providing an avenue for Singapore to activate additional rice supplies from Vietnam in times of need. We are also exploring other international partnerships to boost our food security and will share more information when ready.

WE CAN EACH PLAY OUR PART

We must take food security seriously given the increasing global uncertainty and risks. Strengthening our food resilience is a whole-of-society effort. While the Government continues to strengthen our food pillars, industry and consumers also play a part. For the industry, this could be actively exploring new sources of food and tapping on local produce to further diversify your supplies. For consumers, your choice matters. Flexibility with our food options makes us more resilient. We can also support our local farmers by purchasing local produce and dine at food businesses that use Farm-to-Table produce.

CONCLUSION

As the global food supply landscape evolves, our refreshed approach in the four pillars of our food story – growing local, diversifying import sources, stockpiling and global partnerships – will provide better assurance that future generations of Singapore will continue to have a resilient supply of safe food.

As we look towards the future, strengthening our food supply resilience will require more than just reinforcing what we already have – it calls for us to learn from experience, innovate, and take collective action. Together, let us write the next chapter of our Singapore Food Story.

I wish you all a fruitful and engaging time at the conference. Thank you.