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- Nov 24, 2008
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Dear Forumners,
For once, your Papsmearer is stumped and mystified by Minister Penang Cow's recent comments on the need to diversify our food source so "consumers can have more choices at a lower price". After reading the article below several times, I still don't get it. My questions are as follows:
1) Isn't the importation of food into singapore not a private enterprise entreprenuerial business? In a market economy, businessmen who are in the food supply business would naturally be spending much of their time sourcing food from places that will give them the most profit by being the lowest cost. If it happens that China is selling thing cheaper than Indonesia, why would a businessman buy from Indonesia? My question is why is Penang Cow even spending his time looking into helping Indonesia sell more food to singapore. I am sure Indonesian farmers and food companies know that their products are not competive. How they lower their cost is their problem, what worry is that to the Minister? If they want to do more business with singapore, they can jolly well figure out how to sell a competitive priced product. Why Minister Cow organize a "Working Group" to see how Indonesia can sell more stuff to us? Why is he so eager? He got shares in Indonesian food producers meh? Whatever happen to telling the Indons "Look, SIngapore would like to buy more food from you, but your price is too high now. U do something about it, and we can do more business". Form working group simi lancheow. Want to study production sites, logistic routes, bottlenecks, etc. for fuck? Let the indons figure it out themselves, they have a govt. too. Their food busines dominated by Chinese who are not stupid.
2) Why is the Minister of National Development TCSS about the food supply and cheaper costs for food? Isn't this the job of MITI? This is the Mission of the ministry fo national development. I don't see anything in there about trade practices with other countries?
[Our Mission
Develop World-Class Infrastructure
MND will continue to fulfil our primary responsibility of providing quality physical infrastructure for the nation by working with our partners in the public and private sectors.
Create a Vibrant and Sustainable Living Environment
The word “vibrant” expresses our aim to make Singapore a more lively and exciting city, while the word “sustainable” articulates our desire to carry out development in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that when we develop our city today, we also take care to maintain the quality of our built and natural environment so that our future generations can continue to enjoy the high standard of living that we do today.
Build Rooted and Cohesive Communities
It is important to maintain Singapore’s social cohesiveness, especially with the influx of foreign talent into our country. It is also important to foster within our citizens an attachment and a love for our homeland in order to retain them in Singapore.
Singapore needs to diversify its food sources so consumers can have more choices at a lower price, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in his latest blog post on Monday.
For example, the minister said Singapore is now looking at how it can increase its vegetable imports from Indonesia.
In the past ten years, Singapore’s vegetable imports from traditional sources like Australia have fallen, as Singapore begin to take in produce from other countries such as China.
Statistics from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore show that vegetables from China made up 29 per cent of the total market share in 2011, an increase of 8 per cent from 2002.
China’s growing status as a leading exporter has also reduced Indonesia’s share of the pie, with its volume of vegetables exported to Singapore falling from 32,000 tonnes in 2002 to 21,000 tonnes last year.
Malaysia, given its close geographical proximity, remains Singapore’s largest source of vegetables, with 43 per cent of market share.
Khaw said that pricing is one reason for this, especially since vegetables are consumed daily by many families here. He cited the price difference of potatoes from the two countries – Chinese potatoes are cheaper by about S$0.40 to S$0.65 per kilogramme – as an example.
Noting that this price differential is not small, Khaw added that China is the source of 35 per cent, or 16,540 tonnes, of potatoes sold in Singapore, compared to Indonesia's 9 per cent, or 4,349 tonnes.
But there is potential for Indonesia to increase its export to Singapore, Khaw noted, as he revealed the government is now working through the Indonesia-Singapore Agribusiness Working Group to see how this can be done.
One way, he said, is to study the cost structure of Indonesian agri-produce to identify bottlenecks in exporting from Indonesia.
Production sites, logistics routes and facilities for key Indonesian provinces could also be looked into.
More promotion fairs with supermarket retailers could be organised to showcase Indonesian agri-produce.
Khaw said having diversified food sources will benefit consumers as this means they have a larger basket to choose from. “With added competition, prices for some vegetables will come down too.”
For once, your Papsmearer is stumped and mystified by Minister Penang Cow's recent comments on the need to diversify our food source so "consumers can have more choices at a lower price". After reading the article below several times, I still don't get it. My questions are as follows:
1) Isn't the importation of food into singapore not a private enterprise entreprenuerial business? In a market economy, businessmen who are in the food supply business would naturally be spending much of their time sourcing food from places that will give them the most profit by being the lowest cost. If it happens that China is selling thing cheaper than Indonesia, why would a businessman buy from Indonesia? My question is why is Penang Cow even spending his time looking into helping Indonesia sell more food to singapore. I am sure Indonesian farmers and food companies know that their products are not competive. How they lower their cost is their problem, what worry is that to the Minister? If they want to do more business with singapore, they can jolly well figure out how to sell a competitive priced product. Why Minister Cow organize a "Working Group" to see how Indonesia can sell more stuff to us? Why is he so eager? He got shares in Indonesian food producers meh? Whatever happen to telling the Indons "Look, SIngapore would like to buy more food from you, but your price is too high now. U do something about it, and we can do more business". Form working group simi lancheow. Want to study production sites, logistic routes, bottlenecks, etc. for fuck? Let the indons figure it out themselves, they have a govt. too. Their food busines dominated by Chinese who are not stupid.
2) Why is the Minister of National Development TCSS about the food supply and cheaper costs for food? Isn't this the job of MITI? This is the Mission of the ministry fo national development. I don't see anything in there about trade practices with other countries?
[Our Mission
Develop World-Class Infrastructure
MND will continue to fulfil our primary responsibility of providing quality physical infrastructure for the nation by working with our partners in the public and private sectors.
Create a Vibrant and Sustainable Living Environment
The word “vibrant” expresses our aim to make Singapore a more lively and exciting city, while the word “sustainable” articulates our desire to carry out development in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that when we develop our city today, we also take care to maintain the quality of our built and natural environment so that our future generations can continue to enjoy the high standard of living that we do today.
Build Rooted and Cohesive Communities
It is important to maintain Singapore’s social cohesiveness, especially with the influx of foreign talent into our country. It is also important to foster within our citizens an attachment and a love for our homeland in order to retain them in Singapore.
Singapore needs to diversify its food sources so consumers can have more choices at a lower price, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in his latest blog post on Monday.
For example, the minister said Singapore is now looking at how it can increase its vegetable imports from Indonesia.
In the past ten years, Singapore’s vegetable imports from traditional sources like Australia have fallen, as Singapore begin to take in produce from other countries such as China.
Statistics from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore show that vegetables from China made up 29 per cent of the total market share in 2011, an increase of 8 per cent from 2002.
China’s growing status as a leading exporter has also reduced Indonesia’s share of the pie, with its volume of vegetables exported to Singapore falling from 32,000 tonnes in 2002 to 21,000 tonnes last year.
Malaysia, given its close geographical proximity, remains Singapore’s largest source of vegetables, with 43 per cent of market share.
Khaw said that pricing is one reason for this, especially since vegetables are consumed daily by many families here. He cited the price difference of potatoes from the two countries – Chinese potatoes are cheaper by about S$0.40 to S$0.65 per kilogramme – as an example.
Noting that this price differential is not small, Khaw added that China is the source of 35 per cent, or 16,540 tonnes, of potatoes sold in Singapore, compared to Indonesia's 9 per cent, or 4,349 tonnes.
But there is potential for Indonesia to increase its export to Singapore, Khaw noted, as he revealed the government is now working through the Indonesia-Singapore Agribusiness Working Group to see how this can be done.
One way, he said, is to study the cost structure of Indonesian agri-produce to identify bottlenecks in exporting from Indonesia.
Production sites, logistics routes and facilities for key Indonesian provinces could also be looked into.
More promotion fairs with supermarket retailers could be organised to showcase Indonesian agri-produce.
Khaw said having diversified food sources will benefit consumers as this means they have a larger basket to choose from. “With added competition, prices for some vegetables will come down too.”
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