NEWS
AGRICULTURE Singapore invests in agriculture XIAOZHI LIM
Land-scarce Singapore has only ca 720km2 of total land area. Over 90% of its food requirements are currently imported. On 1 April, 2019, however, the city-state launched a new agency dedicated to food safety and security, with an ambitious goal to produce 30% of Singaporeans’ nutritional needs domestically by 2030. Two-thirds of the island nation’s land
is dedicated to water catchment, and the remaining third must house almost 6m people while meeting industry, business and recreational needs. Currently, less than 1% of Singapore’s land is allocated to agriculture. To achieve the ’30-by-30’ target without increasing land use would require tripling agricultural productivity. ‘Land in Singapore is scarce and has many competing users,’ said the Ministry
AGRICULTURE School closures after illegal dumping XIAOZHI LIM
On 6 March, 2019, a tanker lorry dumped 20-40t of chemical waste illegally into Sungai Kim Kim river that winds through the heavily industrialised town of Pasir Gudang in Johor, Malaysia’s southernmost state. Chemicals dumped included benzene, xylene, acrylonitrile, acrolein, hydrogen chloride and methane. The next day, 35 students and staff from two nearby schools were hospitalised for symptoms of poisoning, including vomiting and breathing difficulties. Authorities were quick to act
to remove the waste from the river but did not immediately dispose of the chemicals due to
lack of expertise. ‘This was not a good decision,’ said Fire and Rescue Department director- general Datuk Mohammad Hamdan Wahid. ‘Due to the current hot weather, the chemical emitted hazardous fumes again, which then spread via wind and made more people sick.’ By 13 March, over 500 individuals reported symptoms and the ministry of education ordered the closure of all 111 schools in Pasir Gudang through the end of March. Three more contractors were engaged, costing RM6.4m – roughly £1.2m – for the clean-up effort. Malaysia’s minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change Bee Yin Yeo declared the clean-up
complete on 19 March, visiting the dumping site herself without wearing a mask. Some 900t of soil and 1500t of polluted water were removed and cleaned from the river, she said. The illegally dumped chemical waste allegedly originated from marine engine compressors. In all, almost 6000 people were treated for symptoms and over 900 hospitalised. ‘Malaysian government has not
much experience in dealing with disaster emergencies,’ said Khai Ern Lee of the National University of Malaysia. ‘There is a need to have a national contingency plan to address all forms of hazard,’ he said, including potential radiological, biological and chemical hazards posing risks to
public safety and health. To that end, the environment ministry is considering replacing Malaysia’s Environmental Quality Act from 1974 with legislation that carries greater enforcement powers and stiffer punishments. The government is also planning to set up a National Scheduled Toxic Waste Management Committee to establish standard protocols for responding properly to future chemical pollution incidents. Meanwhile, three men have been charged with the dumping, including the lorry driver. Pasir Gudang schools reopened at the end of March, although some residents have begun moving away and others are planning litigation.
of Environment and Water Resources. ‘It is essential that our local farmers optimise production and intensify agriculture land use.’ The government has started a SG$63m
– roughly £36m – Agriculture Productivity Fund that will invest in systems to enhance environmental control and boost productivity. An 18ha Agri-Food Innovation Park is being constructed for indoor urban farming and food-related R&D facilities, with a completion date in 2021. SEEDS Capital, an investment arm of government agency Enterprise Singapore, is pumping some SG$90m into local agri-food technology start-ups. Much of this is in response to potential
volatilities in the global food market, such as disruptions to transport routes, export bans and climate change impacts, environment minister Zulkifli Masagos said in a speech to parliament. He cited the example of rice, a crucial staple in Singapore that could suffer
50% production losses in the worst climate change scenarios. ‘One of my counterparts shared with me that the impact of climate change is already being felt and has caused more frequent and severe droughts and floods in the Mekong River Delta, which is the ‘rice bowl’ of Asia,’ he said. ‘These are real-life threats and can hit us bad.’ Another concern came from tensions with Malaysia, a major trading partner for food. In December 2018, Malaysian trade authorities considered limiting egg exports to Singapore, causing prices to soar. Other than investing in agricultural
infrastructure and R&D, the government plans to run public educational campaigns to encourage shoppers to choose local produce. It is also reaching out to local universities and other higher education institutes to develop programmes to groom human talent to meet the fledging industry’s needs.
18 06 | 2019
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