Aquaculture is again in focus in Singapore as the country prepares to scale up local food production against a backdrop of coronavirus-driven disruptions to global supply chains.

Singapore is well known for its fish farming and almost all of the country’s offshore fish farms are located in the waters to its north. According to Singapore-based The Straits Times, those waters could soon reach maximum production levels and authorities have set their sights on the nation’s southern waters for further aquaculture activity.

Figures from the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) show that local food fish farms in Singapore produce around 10% – thought to be around 4,700 tonnes of fish – of Singapore’s consumption of food fish. Aquaculture in Singapore can be categorised as land-based and sea-based, it explains.

Singapore envisions up to 30% of the production of its nutritional needs to be done locally by 2030, meaning the country’s aquaculture industry needs to transform and adopt technology to raise productivity, strengthen climate resilience and overcome resource constraints. This is considered the long-term backdrop for the renewed focus on aquaculture, while disruptions to supply chains as a result of Covid-19 are a short-term anticipation that both emphasises and accelerates this strategy.

As a city-state that imports more than 90% of its food, Singapore is vulnerable to external shocks and global trends that impact food supply and safety around the world. To strengthen food security, Singapore is pursuing three broad strategies, also known as the three food baskets. These are ‘Diversify Import Sources’, ‘Grow Local’ and ‘Grow Overseas’.