MPs push for food resilience amid price rises

Four People’s Action Party lawmakers will table a private member’s motion in Singapore’s Parliament on September 8 calling for stronger food resilience and lower food waste, according to lawmakers and parliamentary notices. The motion will be moved by Poh Li San, Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Valerie Lee and Ng Shi Xuan, all members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for sustainability and the environment. The proposal comes as the lawmakers cite higher food prices linked to climate shocks and geopolitical disruptions. Parliament is scheduled to sit on September 8 at 10:30 a.m., according to the Parliament of Singapore website. ### Which MPs are behind the motion, and what are they asking for? Poh Li San, the committee chair, said the motion will urge the government to enhance food resilience and reduce food waste through work with public and private partners. CNA reported that the four PAP MPs are Poh, deputy chair Nadia Ahmad Samdin, and members Valerie Lee and Ng Shi Xuan. The Straits Times said the group plans to raise ideas on food waste management, supply-chain resilience, support for local farmers and the alternative-protein industry. (channelnewsasia.com) The Straits Times identified the constituencies of the four MPs as Sembawang West for Poh, Ang Mo Kio GRC for Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Pasir Ris-Changi GRC for Valerie Lee and Sembawang GRC for Ng Shi Xuan. Zaobao’s report on the same motion said the proposals would also cover support for local agricultural production and stronger food-import coordination. (channelnewsasia.com) ### Why are food prices part of the debate now? September 2 was the date Poh linked the motion to recent external shocks, including disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and El Nino-related weather events that hurt crop yields. She said at a media briefing that food prices had risen because of those outside conditions. The Straits Times separately described “hotter weather” and Middle East conflicts as factors behind the current pressure on prices. (straitstimes.com) Nadia Ahmad Samdin said the timing is also meant to put food resilience and climate adaptation on the regional agenda as Singapore prepares to take over the ASEAN chairmanship next year, according to Zaobao. That report said the MPs want the government to take more steps to raise local production capacity and farm operating capability. ### What numbers are the MPs using to make the case? (channelnewsasia.com) Singapore generated close to 800,000 tonnes of food waste in 2025, or about 128 kg per person, Poh said, according to CNA. The Straits Times gave the same total and said Singapore produces less than 10 per cent of its food locally while importing the rest. Zaobao reported that food waste made up about 11% of Singapore’s total waste in 2025, at 790,000 tonnes, and said the recycling rate for food waste has stayed below 20% over the past decade. (zaobao.com.sg) Nadia said policymakers still need clearer data on how much discarded food is lost in transit and storage and how much is wasted after it reaches consumers. ### What policy changes are they pressing the government to consider? (channelnewsasia.com) Poh said the MPs will ask the government to consider more ways to build local food-production capability and viability. She also said they want Singapore to rethink how food-import policies and the food-redistribution system can be coordinated to reduce waste more systematically. (zaobao.com.sg) The Straits Times said Singapore already relies on diversified imports, stockpiles of items such as rice and frozen meat, local production of some vegetables and seafood, and international supply arrangements during crises. The new motion seeks further debate on whether those measures should be expanded or better coordinated as price pressures persist. (channelnewsasia.com) ### Where will the debate go next? September 8 is the next formal test for the proposal, with Parliament set to reconvene that morning and the motion scheduled for debate at the sitting, according to Parliament’s website and local media reports. The proceedings will be carried on Parliament’s usual channels, and the official record will later appear in Singapore’s parliamentary reports and votes-and-proceedings pages. (parliament.gov.sg) (straitstimes.com)