Less than 1% of food in Singapore comes from Middle East, but prices could still go up: Grace Fu

[SINGAPORE] Less than 1 per cent of Singapore’s food supply comes from the Middle East, with supplies from major ports in the Strait of Hormuz accounting for less than 0.5 per cent.

But the prices of food here could still go up because of the war, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Mar 18.

“Quantity is not a problem. But there is a feed-through mechanism, through logistics,” she added in an interview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.

The imports from the Middle East include oranges from Egypt, lemons from Turkey, and dates from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran’s continued blockage of the Strait of Hormuz – a major global shipping route – could affect shipments of fertiliser, which the Middle East is a major producer of, she said. The disruptions could lead to higher costs of fertiliser and have a trickle-down effect on agriculture and farming of livestock like chicken and cattle, she added.

Hawkers may also have to pay more for cooking gas due to the higher oil and gas prices. “So these all have potential impacts on food prices,” said Fu.

At least one farmer in Singapore, who produces a range of fish such as red snapper and barramundi, told ST that he is considering raising prices for his fish, although he will do so only as a last resort.

Malcolm Ong, founder of The Fish Farmer, said he imports most of the farm’s fish feed from Malaysia and Vietnam, so he anticipates that higher fuel costs could increase his production costs.

“At the moment we haven’t increased prices, but we are coming to a point where we cannot keep absorbing this cost increase because the fuel cost is not a small jump, it’s a big one,” he said, noting that transport and logistics costs are already impacted.

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The disruptive impacts of climate change

Fu said climate change impacts, such as water scarcity or extreme weather affecting crop yields, could also affect people here in a similar way.

That is why it is important for Singapore to build up its resilience against such disruptions. This will involve insulating itself from risks as much as possible, and recovering quickly when it is hit, she said.

“We can never totally insulate ourselves because we are dependent on imports,” she said.

Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food. “So as much as possible, either you diversify, stockpile, or you have some other ways that can reduce the reliance on the single market or increase your leverage in ensuring that there’s actually supply coming to you,” she added.

During the interview, Fu touched on why her ministry had made climate adaptation – or efforts to protect people and places from climate change impacts – a national priority for 2026.

The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) has designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation and announced a suite of new initiatives to address threats ranging from unbearable heat to rising seas during the debate on its budget on Mar 3.

These initiatives include girding coastlines against rising sea levels and strengthening Singapore’s food security. More funds will also be invested in research that will deepen understanding of how heat affects people and facilitate the development of novel cooling solutions.

The total expenditure of MSE for financial year (FY) 2026 is projected to be $3.69 billion, down from the $4.21 billion in FY2025.

Fu said that increasing fragmentation in climate politics has spurred the need to focus on adaptation now.

She cited the US pulling out of the Paris Agreement. The pact was signed by nearly 200 countries in 2015 to limit global warming to 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

The absence of big countries like the US in climate negotiations has made such talks more difficult, she added. “The US is not just passively absent, it’s actually actively taking steps to stall global climate action,” she said.

“They see this as a geopolitical contestation... And they see that the winner of this is the green countries with green technology, green solutions, and because they are not in there, they see that this is not a game that they can win, they don’t want their opponents to win.”

But Singapore can still work on adaptation efforts to protect itself better from climate change impacts.

“Nobody can quite argue with why countries should take steps to protect themselves from the impact of climate change,” said Fu.

National adaptation plan

Singapore is also preparing its first national adaptation plan – a blueprint that will chart measures to guard the country against climate threats. All the countries that are party to the Paris Agreement are expected to submit these plans to the UN.

Singapore’s plan is slated to be published in 2027.

Fu outlined key areas of the plan, including infrastructure, food and water, public health, and socio-economic issues.

Each focus area will highlight measures from different agencies, she added. “Part of this national adaptation plan is also for us to coordinate within the Government, because for each of the government agencies, we do have some elements of adaptation,” she said.

For example, on infrastructure, stakeholders can think about how to build for a warmer world with rising temperatures and rising sea levels.

More research can also be done on how heat affects health, especially for the elderly.

When it comes to socio-economic issues, how climate change would affect a country’s economic resilience and equality also needs to be studied, Fu said.

She added: “The whole purpose of this is to also make people aware that there is actually a need for adaptation, and what adaptation is all about.”

Fu said she hopes that individuals can become part of the national adaptation plan by understanding how they can take care of themselves and their communities.

For example, during periods of haze, individuals can follow advisories and protect themselves while looking out for the more vulnerable, such as the elderly, she said.

On hot days, individuals can also dress more suitably or think of ways to make their own homes more comfortable to tackle the heat, she said.

Businesses, too, must also take some responsibility.

Part of the suite of Singapore’s adaptation initiatives is the passing of a new coastal protection law. Under the new legislation, government agencies and private companies that occupy land along the country’s shorelines must implement measures to shield their coastal areas from rising seas.

“If it’s something for the public good... I think that should be government-funded,” she said. “But if you are doing something for your own businesses, then I think the businesses should take that up.”

To help defray the costs of building shields to protect their assets from rising seas, all coastal landowners in Singapore will be eligible for a grant.

Fu noted that details of the grant have not yet been released.

But she added: “The principle would be this – we will come in support to a level where it is the basic, and then (for) the rest, if you want something that is tailored, that is specific, that is movable for your own operations, then I think the company will have to pay for that.” THE STRAITS TIMES