SINGAPORE has once again been ranked as the number one in the world in food security, according to the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019. While the country fared well on the parameters of affordability, accessibility, and quality of food, it lagged in the fourth pillar of the index - natural resources and resilience factors. This is not surprising since the country imports 90 per cent of the food that it consumes, and is reliant on a diversified import strategy to meet the local food needs. To drive up its food resilience though, increasing local production has become a key area of national focus.

If Singapore is to realise its "30 by 30" goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030 and be an agri-food hub, it needs to step up efforts to address many challenges facing the agri-food sector - rightly highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at the Asian Food Challenge recently.

While big data, biotechnology, as well as developing high-tech vegetable and aquaculture farms can help with the crop yield and nutritional quality, it is also imperative to track the food supply chains. Fortifying the process of food supply with trust and transparency is vital. This, in my view, will be a key improvement area as the government looks to bolster the agri-food sector in Singapore.