預算辯論 · 2026-03-04 · 屆國會 15

2026環境可持續部供給委員會辯論:AI提升回收效率

AI 與公共部門 AI 經濟與產業 爭議度 1 · 資訊釋出

MSE供給委員會辯論(續)中,政務部長回應議員關於AI技術應用的提問。討論集中在利用AI提高回收流的特異性和靈敏度,改善廢物分類和資源回收效率。政府表示正在探索AI技術以增強新加坡食品故事2.0中的食品生產效率。

關鍵要點

  • AI提高回收分類的特異性和靈敏度
  • 改善廢物管理效率
政府立場

支援AI在環保領域的應用

政策訊號

AI在環保和迴圈經濟中的實際應用

參與人員 (5)

完整譯文(中文)

Hansard 原始記錄 · 2026-05-02

[(程式文本) L項(續)–(程式文本)]

[(程式文本) 2026年3月3日辯論恢復,(程式文本)]

[(程式文本) “將預算中L項的總撥款減少100美元。”– [Poh Li San 女士]。(程式文本)]

[(程式文本) 再次提出問題。(程式文本)]

主席:可持續發展與環境資深國務部長Zaqy Mohamad。

上午10時33分

可持續發展與環境資深國務部長(Zaqy Mohamad先生):主席先生,我將談談我們加強食品韌性的策略。

作為一個高度依賴進口的國家,我們特別容易受到外部衝擊和供應鏈中斷的影響。過去五年,新加坡的食品供應多次受到我們無法控制的事件考驗。

在新冠疫情期間,人們擔心各國的防疫措施會導致食品供應中斷,例如雞蛋。2022年,馬來西亞禁止出口活雞,擾亂了對新加坡的供應。最近,2023年印度尼西亞布蘭地區爆發非洲豬瘟,導致豬肉供應中斷,進一步凸顯了我們的脆弱性。

每次我們都依靠進口商、零售商和消費者的共同支援,轉向替代選項,成功度過了供應中斷。我們必須為日益緊張的地緣政治局勢和貿易限制做好準備,這些因素可能擾亂我們的食品供應。中東最新一系列事件更凸顯了全球不確定的局勢。

我們還需要管理動物疾病帶來的風險,這些疾病加劇了全球食品供應和價格的壓力。作為長期風險,我們必須能夠適應氣候變化,例如極端和不穩定的天氣,這些都會影響全球作物產量。

這就是為什麼我們需要建立多種選擇和靈活性,以應對不同型別的中斷——無論是影響單一或多種食品,單一來源或整個地區,持續幾天還是幾個月。

我們從“30乘30”計劃中學到了許多經驗。雖然該計劃成功促進了本地生產增長,主要集中在一個支柱——本地種植,但這使我們容易受到我們試圖解決的中斷的影響。我們學到了什麼?單一支柱的策略,無論多麼雄心勃勃,都無法提供新加坡所需的食品供應韌性。

這引出了新加坡食品故事2,正如傅瑾怡部長去年11月宣佈的那樣。它包括四個支柱:多元化進口、本地種植、儲備和全球夥伴關係。這些支柱使我們能夠利用不同組合應對不同情景,從而增強我們的食品韌性。

但首先,什麼是實現“食品韌性”?食品韌性意味著確保新加坡能夠可靠地獲得基本需求——確保在中斷期間,餐桌上仍有食物,貨架上仍有食品,餐食儘可能保持熟悉。並非每次中斷都能保證每個人喜歡的食物和品牌都能供應,我認為我們必須接受這一點。但我們會優先保障主食,如米飯、蛋白質和蔬菜。就像任何保險政策一樣,我們必須戰略性地保護重點和保護方式。這種方法使我們能夠在最重要的地方提供食品保障,同時負責任地管理風險。

第一個食品支柱是產業多元化進口。這意味著從多個來源進口食品,建立替代來源。這樣可以減少特定來源中斷時的影響,幫助穩定食品供應。同時,也便於在需要時轉向替代來源。

政府將通過認證新的來源來支援產業,特別是對食品安全要求較高的食品,如肉類和雞蛋;我們將幫助本地食品進口商進行業務配對;並通過與關鍵來源建立區域化協議保障供應穩定。

當發生疾病爆發時,我們不會關閉整個國家的供應——如今我們更加精準。我們的區域化協議允許我們繼續從受影響國家內無病區進口。例如,去年巴西爆發禽流感時,我們維持了來自未受影響地區認證農場的家禽進口,而不是限制整個巴西的進口。

我們將繼續促進認證並探索與合適來源的區域化安排。

僅靠多元化是不夠的,也存在限制。例如,進口商可能需要從不一定最便宜的來源購買。因此,我們還必須通過與志同道合的國家和地區合作,加強現有食品供應鏈的韌性。這就是全球夥伴關係——我們最新的支柱——的作用所在。

Ng Shi Xuan先生問我們如何評估全球夥伴關係是否能支援多元化。正如上個月在議會分享的,夥伴關係可以採取多種形式,例如促進海外生產,除了政府間安排和協議。

為了使這些夥伴關係有意義且可持續,它們必須實現雙贏。不同夥伴關係的表現形式會有所不同。正如議員提到的,最近的例子包括去年與越南和泰國簽署的兩份稻米貿易諒解備忘錄。這些幫助我們確保新加坡的稻米供應穩定,併為新加坡在需要時啟用額外稻米供應提供渠道。

與汶萊的聯合研究探討在汶萊建立農業科技食品區的可行性,將探索兩國如何利用各自優勢,增強農產品貿易和食品供應韌性,首先從水產養殖開始。

當下一次中斷髮生時,我們不想手忙腳亂地尋找替代方案。我們希望擁有預先建立的渠道、經過測試的協議和可信賴的合作伙伴,隨時準備響應。這將危機管理從被動應對轉變為主動部署。我們將繼續探索與志同道合經濟體的互利安排,以加強我們的食品供應韌性。

主席先生,即使我們努力減少中斷的可能性和影響,仍可能面臨廣泛的中斷,導致食品一段時間內無法進入我們的邊境。這就是為什麼我們要儲備必需食品,如大米。它為我們爭取時間和緩衝空間,以恢復食品流通並維持人口生活。

正如去年11月在本院分享的,自新冠疫情以來,我們已擴大儲備,涵蓋冷凍蛋白和罐裝蔬菜,涵蓋碳水化合物、纖維和蛋白質三大食品組。我們將繼續與產業合作,更有效地儲備。

談到本地種植。本地種植仍是我們食品韌性策略的重要支柱。儲備有限,進口可能中斷。本地農場能為我們提供可再生的新鮮食品來源,即使在長期中斷期間也能維持。越來越多的農場轉向受控環境,使其更具氣候韌性和土地利用效率。

Poh Li San女士詢問失敗本地農場的經驗教訓,Ng Shi Xuan先生問新加坡在替代蛋白方面的角色。我們必須首先認識到,我們的大部分農業產業尚處於初期發展階段。發展可行技術和商業模式需要時間。我們還必須務實地看待本地可持續種植的食品種類。要本地生產我們餐盤上的每一種食品,既不高效也不現實。

因此,在新加坡食品故事2下,我們調整了本地生產目標,重點關注在新加坡可高效規模化生產的纖維和蛋白質型別。這些包括新鮮葉菜和果蔬,如小白菜和番茄,豆芽和蘑菇作為纖維來源;蛋和海鮮作為蛋白質來源。這些目標考慮了本地農業生態系統的優勢和供應增長潛力。

我們還必須現實地看待經濟性。本地農場的土地和生產成本始終高於區域農場。不幸的是,這是我們的現實。但這與新加坡在製造業等其他行業如何區別於低成本替代品的情況無異。我們必須提升附加值,提高生產力和成本效率,並在政府支援下投資能力和產能建設。

但我們也從需求端學到了:消費者和大型買家,如超市,願意為更新鮮、無農藥的本地農產品支付合理溢價,這些產品還保證供應穩定。這意味著他們需要規模化且持續的供應。因此,關鍵是讓我們的農場達到合適的規模和成本結構。以本地蛋業為例,已實現這一平衡,本地生產佔本地消費的30%。

Lee Hui Ying女士和Cai Yinzhou先生問我們如何支援和提升本地農場的認知。我們幫助農場提高生產力,實現規模經濟,提升能力,增強農業投入品供應韌性,並擴大需求。

2021年啟動的首批農業食品叢集轉型(ACT)基金已顯示,新加坡農場可以轉型為高產、抗蟲害和疾病、且日益具備氣候韌性的先進農業運營。

自啟動以來,我們已撥款5500萬新元支援近150個專案。該基金使農業和水產養殖農場採用從簡單小規模技術(如LED生長燈、自動餵食器和自動灌溉系統,減少人工)到氣候控制環境中的大規模農業系統,保證全年生產不受天氣影響。

上午10時45分

以新加坡水產養殖科技為例,藉助ACT基金支援,他們沒有采用傳統的開放式網箱養魚技術,而是部署了封閉式養殖系統。結果如何?他們的生產力是傳統海基魚場的三倍,且使用封閉系統降低了環境風險,如藻華。封閉式養殖技術仍處於初期階段,需要產業準備。

因此,回應Nadia Ahmad Samdin女士的問題,本地產業採用封閉式養殖系統等技術需要時間。新加坡食品局(SFA)將繼續支援有意願和準備好轉型的農場。

ACT基金的另一受益者是Yili農場,他們升級了種植系統,最佳化佈局,改善作物保護,並與中央苗圃和灌溉系統整合,實現更快的作物週期和20%的生產力提升。這些進展使我們有信心加強基金,進一步支援農場。

今天,我宣佈ACT基金2將提供新一輪7000萬新元資金,從2026年4月起,歷時五年,這是迄今為止我們支援技術採用和本地農業能力建設的最大產業計劃。

同時,將引入新的資金組成部分——產業能力轉型合作伙伴資助。此舉回應產業反饋,強調需要協作方式解決共同挑戰,如規模經濟有限和供應鏈低效。

該新計劃將共同資助農場與生態系統參與者之間的戰略合作,開發和部署可支援多家農場的產業級解決方案。例如,農場與產業參與者合作開發整合配送系統,簡化從農場到市場的流程,降低運輸成本,提高產品新鮮度。

針對水產養殖業,我們還將支援海基和陸基農場通過示範專案採用新技術,提高生產力和產出穩定性。例如,自動化苗魚疫苗接種可降低勞動強度。成功示範的技術隨後可通過ACT基金2推廣至產業。

除技術外,優質農業投入品,如魚卵、苗魚和飼料,是水產養殖成功的基礎。目前農場大部分魚苗和苗魚來自海外,質量不穩定,存活率低,因長途運輸壓力大。

2024年11月,我們推出國家親魚種中心及孵化場發展與認證計劃,為農場提供高質量魚卵和苗魚,具有更高的存活率和養殖成活率。國家親魚種中心生產無病親魚,商業孵化場在嚴格生物安全標準下培育高質量苗魚。

對農場而言,這直接轉化為更好的盈利能力。這些優質苗魚生長更快,存活率更高,飼料轉化效率更好。意味著農場能更快達到市場,飼料成本更低,損失更少。

我們從亞洲鱸魚開始,現已成功擴充套件至海鱸魚。五家孵化場已獲認證,可從國家親魚種中心獲得優質鱸魚卵和海鱸魚苗。今年,我們將擴大國家育種計劃,納入紅鯛魚,並推動產業主導增加白蝦幼體和石斑魚苗供應。

優質魚卵和苗魚奠定基礎,但健康和營養投入決定農場是否實現最佳生長和抗病能力。SFA的新綜合孵化場支援計劃將幫助本地孵化場採用專用飼料和優質疫苗,最大化高質量魚苗的生長潛力。通過示範試驗,增強農場投資優質投入的信心。

國家親魚種中心、孵化場發展與認證計劃及綜合孵化場支援計劃共同構建了強化的水產養殖價值鏈,提升魚苗質量,提高產量,增強競爭力,涵蓋海基和陸基農場。

我們的銷售計劃在新加坡食品韌性最重要的食品型別上取得進展——我們目標是做得更好。核心是新加坡農食品企業聯合會(SAFEF),它已成為關鍵的需求聚合引擎,將農場生產能力與本地需求匹配。

Nadia Ahmad Samdin女士問SAFEF需求聚合的成效。SAFEF打造了“海峽魚”和“SG農場市場”等可持續品牌,現已入駐主要超市——FairPrice、盛榮、冷藏和Giant,使本地農產品更貼近社群。公眾反響積極。例如,“SG農場市場”品牌下的小白菜自2024年5月推出以來,銷量增長約七倍。

我們將在2026年擴大需求聚合模式,增加更多產品種類和“海峽魚”海鱸魚即食產品。SAFEF還將與更多餐飲業者合作,將SG農場市場產品納入選單。此舉旨在通過連線零售需求與分散的本地農場供應鏈,促進農場主流市場滲透。由於農業規模小,聚合銷售計劃為農場提供了擴大生產所需的銷售保障。同時,超市、酒店和餐飲商獲得可靠本地供應的信心,願意提供貨架空間和營銷支援。

新加坡食品故事的成效還取決於我們迅速應對中斷的準備。SFA正在加強預警系統,提供更長的行動提前期。我們與PSA BDP合作開發的新風險監測儀表板和食品供應視覺化工具,能提前預警可能影響食品進口的動態,增強新加坡上游食品供應鏈的可視性。該工具已證明其價值——去年5月巴西禽流感爆發和近期中東衝突期間,加快了我們的風險評估。

針對水產養殖,我們正在升級有害藻華預測模型,整合天氣預報,實現更準確的環境預測。這樣可提前警示農場,便於實施通氣或緊急收穫等緩解措施,減少存貨損失。

這些舉措共同增強了SFA評估、規劃和緩解供應中斷風險的能力,確保新加坡食品韌性不受影響。感謝Foo Cexiang先生對我們食品支柱的建議。強大的供應鏈物流確實是韌性的關鍵支柱。我們將繼續與相關機構和產業密切合作,包括考慮您的建議。

主席先生,建設新加坡的食品韌性需要我們所有人超越個人利益,以集體的緊迫感行動。政府將繼續盡我們的職責——無論是投資於ACT基金2、擴充套件國家親魚種中心、與SAFEF建立採購計劃,還是加強預警系統。但我們無法單獨保障我們的食品未來。

我希望企業能更多支援我們的本地食品生產和整體的新加坡食品故事2計劃。多元化您的供應來源,並將本地生產作為戰略緩衝。超市應擴大本地農產品的貨架空間,餐廳應加入我們的“從農場到餐桌”認可計劃,食品製造商應與SAFEF合作發展本地供應鏈。

當您選擇本地供應商時,您是在投資新加坡的食品韌性,這將保護您的業務在下一次重大中斷或大規模疫情情景中免受影響。對於消費者來說,您的選擇塑造了我們的集體韌性。即使本地農產品價格略高,也請優先選擇,並在危機和短缺期間對我們的食品選擇保持更靈活。我們為本地農產品支付的溢價,是當一切失效時可靠食品供應的保險。

主席先生,我們的開國元勳明白,新加坡的生存依賴於集體行動勝過個人利益。正如我們的開國總理常說,涉及新加坡生存時,我們絕不能留有僥倖。今天,我們將同樣的原則應用於食品韌性,通過新加坡食品故事2——通過集體行動構建全面韌性,因為我們的食品未來太重要,不能僅靠僥倖。

主席:高階議員秘書吳涵燕。

可持續發展與環境部長高階議員秘書(吳涵燕女士):主席先生,氣候適應聽起來可能很遙遠——似乎是由別人、在別處處理的事情。但事實上,它體現在日常生活中,比如突如其來的暴雨打亂您的通勤,或日落後公寓中持續的熱浪。這些小而日益增多的不便告訴我們一個重要資訊:我們周圍的環境正在變化,我們的應對方式將決定我們的生活方式。

簡單來說,氣候適應意味著為已知將至的干擾做好準備。我們如何幫助自己在氣候變化中保持舒適和安全。對新加坡來說,這項工作變得更加緊迫。昨天,傅瑾怡部長宣佈,我們將把2026年定為氣候適應年。這是一年提高意識並讓所有人參與行動的年份。

在環境部,這體現了我們統一的“我們優先”理念。每個人都與新加坡的適應息息相關,每個人都有責任讓它奏效。在接下來的幾分鐘裡,我將分享我們如何在海岸、社群和日常行動中落實這一理念。

首先,作為一個土地稀缺的國家,新加坡易受海平面上升影響。簡單來說,如果我們無所作為,海平面每上升一次,我們的土地就會減少。

我們今天已經看到一些影響。今年一月,春潮在沒有降雨的情況下淹沒了東海岸公園的部分地區。這告訴我們,海岸洪水不是遙遠的未來問題,而是正在發生的現實。

政府已通過海岸與防洪基金投入數十億資金,這是一項以代計的長期投資。海岸保護的核心是保護土地,同時支援人類與自然共享海岸的方式。我們在新加坡看到鋼鐵與混凝土與荒野相鄰。我親自參與過一次潮間帶徒步,看到海蛞蝓和沙元等海洋生物,就在丹那美拉渡輪碼頭旁。

我們正在與社群討論海岸保護措施及其設計方式。這包括居民、企業、研究人員和自然團體,他們以不同方式與海岸互動,但都深切關心它。

我參加了在雙溪布洛溼地保護區舉行的一次會議,討論紅樹林棲息地周邊的海岸保護。討論中觀點豐富,涉及權衡利弊,探討如何將海岸保護措施與公共空間結合。

其中一個建議是將克蘭芝潮門改造成觀景臺。我們在傾聽,並在制定新加坡各地的海岸保護措施時採納這些意見。因為當人們參與塑造保護他們的措施時,保護就成為共享的,而非強加的。

第二,隨著極端天氣事件頻發,我相信大家都經歷過突如其來的暴雨。我們持續升級排水和基礎設施,但沒有城市能規劃建設以應對所有可能的暴風雨。真正的韌性需要我們每個人都有能力自我保護。正如傅麗珊女士強調,企業可以採取措施保護其場所免受洪水侵害。

為幫助企業瞭解這些措施,公共事業局與業界通過行動聯盟合作,制定了《防洪韌性開發指南》。該指南將於2026年中在公共事業局網站釋出,幫助業主通過自助防洪風險矩陣評估其洪水暴露風險,並決定所需的防護措施。該指南實用,直接借鑑了業界經驗。

上午11時

除了企業能做的準備,個人的準備同樣重要。關注公共事業局的“快速防洪智慧行動”宣傳活動,或參加他們的推廣活動。學習簡單措施,在暴雨或洪水時保護自己和家人安全。

娜迪婭女士會高興知道我們將準備工作帶到您的家門口。我們的團隊正在訪問易受洪水影響的地區,分發行動式防洪屏障,您可以快速搭建。我們已分發超過16,000個屏障,並將在今年持續進行。請加入我們,立即行動,訂閱公共事業局在Telegram、X或MyENV應用上的洪水警報。

接下來,海岸和防洪保護對保持新加坡安全宜居至關重要。真正的差異來自於積極參與的社群。我們欣慰地看到新加坡各地社群主動提出方案,共同保護環境,促進可持續發展。

我們通過SG生態基金支援您的努力。自2020年以來,SG生態基金已撥款超過2100萬新元,支援近500個專案,吸引超過70萬人參與。

我特別興奮於一個SG生態基金專案,關注老年人室內高溫問題,這是一個較少被理解和討論的話題。可持續生活實驗室的HeatAware SG專案在家中安裝感測器,幫助老年人瞭解溫度積聚,並提供及時的降溫建議。

他們合作的一位老人從未使用過風扇,即使在炎熱的日子,這種習慣源自鄉村時代。但想象一下,隨著氣溫升高,這增加了中暑風險。通過簡單的監測和溫和的提示,老年人現在獲得了保持安全所需的資訊。

歸根結底,適應首先需要清晰的認知。當我們瞭解周圍的變化時,我們才能做好準備。這是社會成功應對變化的方式。

蘇涵女士詢問是否擴大SG生態基金的範圍以支援更多基層行動。隨著氣候風險增加,我們需要更有針對性的行動。對此我們意見一致。

因此,我宣佈在SG生態基金下設立氣候適應專項計劃。自2026年5月1日起,我們將在兩年內投入最多500萬新元,資助如HeatAware SG等專案,提升氣候適應意識並激勵行動。涵蓋主題包括熱韌性(如黃世軒先生、何大衛先生和李慧玲女士所提)、防洪、水資源節約及支援本地農產品。我們將全年開放申請,並將可支援專案費用的資助比例從80%提高至90%。

氣候變化可能令人感到壓力山大。但我們相信您能有所作為。如果您有想法,請利用SG生態基金。我們期待您的聲音,並支援您將想法變為現實。對年輕人來說,您的活力和創意正是我們建設韌性新加坡所需,讓您自信地繼承這片土地。

李鴻昌先生會欣慰地知道,我們也致力於賦能年輕人在海外建設韌性。國家青年理事會的新加坡-東盟青年基金支援東南亞的青年可持續專案。他們還可通過青年軍團遠征專案參與海外可持續專案志願服務。

最後,氣候適應也關乎日常行為——我們養成的習慣、做出的選擇以及作為個體承擔的責任。

現在讓我用普通話簡要介紹飲料容器回收計劃,以及日常行動如何推動可持續發展。

(普通話):[請參閱方言發言。] 新加坡正面臨氣候變化帶來的嚴峻挑戰。我們必須尋求更好的解決方案以適應這些變化。環境部希望鼓勵社會各界與我們攜手合作,使可持續發展成為我們的日常生活的一部分。

昨天賈尼爾·普圖切裡博士提到的飲料容器回收計劃就是一個好例子。自下個月起,超市、小販中心、咖啡店及部分零售點將逐步開始銷售印有或貼有該計劃押金標誌的瓶裝和罐裝飲料。

為幫助消費者適應該計劃,本地主要超市將統一採取以下做法:貨架上顯示的價格不含10分押金,結賬時超市會明確告知消費者需額外支付10分押金。較小零售商可能採用不同的定價方式。我們將繼續與他們合作,確保瓶裝和罐裝飲料的定價清晰透明。

飲用完飲料後,消費者可將標記容器投入逆向自動售貨機,取回10分押金。可使用SimplyGo EZ-Link卡、優惠卡或DBS PayLah!取回押金。新計劃不僅將提高飲料容器的回收率,還將鼓勵新加坡人養成良好的回收習慣。

在推出飲料容器回收計劃前,我們廣泛諮詢了餐飲業者,確定了兩種可行的容器回收方式。第一種是將罐裝飲料倒入杯中供顧客飲用,或在顧客飲用完畢後收回容器。在這種情況下,餐飲業者不會向顧客收取10分押金。

我們將此類業者歸類為“正確回收餐飲”商家。這些餐飲業者將在店內張貼告示,告知顧客不會收取押金。我們理解選擇自行收集容器的業者需調整工作流程。為協助這些業者,我們將為每個“正確回收餐飲”門店提供一次性500新元補貼。業者可向國家環境局申請。

第二種方式是向購買罐裝飲料的顧客收取10分押金。飲用完畢後,顧客可將容器投入任何逆向自動售貨機,取回押金。這種模式對大多數咖啡店和小販中心攤位更為實用。

實施和完善新政策需要時間。在過渡期內,我們希望公眾支援和理解。同時,我們歡迎反饋和建議,以供參考和改進。

只要我們攜手合作,就能共同為保護環境盡一份力。

(英文):主席先生,氣候適應關乎提前準備和共同行動。從海岸到洪水再到社群行動,每一項努力都依賴於我們所有人。這是國家持久的方式——共同適應、提前準備、為世代建設。政府將繼續進行長期投資,邀請每位新加坡人參與這項工作。因為這就是“我們優先”的含義——共同責任,共享未來。[掌聲]

主席:傅麗珊女士。

傅麗珊(森巴旺西) :謝謝議長,也感謝部長、高階國務部長和高階議員秘書。我有一個問題要問高階國務部長賈尼爾博士。我曾強調新加坡食物浪費的昂貴諷刺,並詢問環境部減少食物浪費的計劃和努力。在他的答覆中,賈尼爾博士僅提到了《好撒瑪利亞人食物捐贈法案》。我想強調,該法案是由前議員黃志強先生、蘇涵女士、謝偉強先生和我本人牽頭的私人議員法案,經過五年諮詢和基層努力,由一大批環保活動家和利益相關者組成的委員會推動。

新加坡人均每年食物浪費平均為128公斤,且呈上升趨勢,在全球人均食物浪費最高的15個國家中排名靠前。僅餐廳和酒店就佔食物浪費約28%,對於一個小群體來說比例相當大。我想問賈尼爾博士,環境部是否有進一步計劃和努力減少食物浪費?是否會與餐飲和酒店業開展更有針對性的合作,以扭轉食物浪費增長趨勢?

可持續發展與環境高階國務部長(賈尼爾·普圖切裡博士):先生,簡短回答是肯定的。我們確實希望改善食物浪費管理,鼓勵所有相關利益方參與。正如傅女士所指出,我們已有多種機制、平臺和立法。我們希望確保這些得到充分利用,並繼續與利益相關者合作,研究如何改進流程。

目前,我們在新聞和議會中更多關注其他廢棄物流——塑膠和包裝——但食物浪費確實是我們需要認真思考的問題,因為它在減少浪費、提升資源回收和減少廢棄物填埋方面具有巨大潛力。

主席:蘇涵女士。

蘇涵(馬西嶺-裕廊西) :謝謝主席。我有兩個澄清。第一是關於飲料容器回收計劃。我從賈尼爾博士昨天的發言中瞭解到,“正確回收”餐飲門店將獲得特定貼紙以告知消費者其計劃。在這方面,我想問這些貼紙是否已分發給所有相關利益方?我們是否計劃在4月1日實施?為避免餐飲顧客混淆,能否考慮建立一個集中彙總的商家名單,並放在MyENV應用上?

第二個澄清是關於SG生態基金。聽部長說自2020年11月以來撥款5000萬新元,已吸引超過70萬人參與可持續相關工作,令人振奮。在這方面,我想了解我們是否也跟蹤通過SG生態基金專案減少的廢棄物量或節約的能源和水資源?正如我在發言中提到的,衡量結果對管理成果非常重要。

賈尼爾·普圖切裡博士:先生,感謝蘇涵女士的問題。貼紙只會發放給報名參加“正確回收”餐飲計劃的門店。我不希望議員們認為這必須在4月1日前完成。即使4月1日後,餐飲門店仍可選擇報名。

但如果尚未報名且不在“正確回收”餐飲名單上,則有義務向顧客收取10分押金,押金隨容器由顧客負責處理。因此,貼紙是有的,我們會發放給報名的門店,無論是4月1日前還是之後。

關於集中名單的想法,我們肯定會考慮。

主席:澄清發言越來越長。截止時間是上午11點30分。是的,高階議員秘書吳涵燕。

吳涵燕:針對蘇涵女士關於是否衡量SG生態基金成果的問題,目前我們並未按議員所述的廢棄物減少或節能量來衡量成果。但我們會跟蹤申請人數、申請者背景及專案質量。主要因為SG生態基金初衷是賦能並提升可持續意識。隨著基金髮展成熟,我們可以考慮進一步衡量。

主席:何大衛先生,您有兩次發言機會,共七分鐘。

何大衛(裕廊東-武吉巴督):謝謝主席。我有兩組問題。第一是關於氣候適應計劃的實施方式,第二是關於飲料容器回收計劃。

部長昨天提到,熱浪預警將通過myENV應用程式傳送。我認為這非常有用,因為我們大多數人今天都有智慧手機。昨天,我在議會結束後,去見了我的基層領導,在一個有40多名基層領導的房間裡,我與他們分享了這件事。然後我問:“舉手表決,有多少人實際上下載了myENV應用程式?”只有少數基層領導下載了這個myENV應用程式。所以,我想問,從環境與水資源部(MSE)的角度來看,我們是否知道目前有多少人下載了這個應用程式?我們對此有何看法?

上午11時15分

之後,我心想,“哦不,那些不認英文字的叔叔阿姨怎麼辦?”於是我開始瀏覽這個應用程式,嘗試將語言設定改為普通話——

主席:何先生,您能否直接說明您的澄清問題?我剛才要求大家發言要簡明扼要。

何大衛先生:好的。我的問題是,這個應用程式本身是否具備多語言功能,以便我們的長者或那些英語不太流利的人能夠使用這個應用程式。

關於第二個問題,即飲料容器回收計劃,我支援回收工作和部署1000臺逆向自動售貨機(RVM)。我想澄清,在克萊門第(Clementi)的一些地區,如法伯山莊(Faber Hills Estate),那裡是混合的有地住宅和人口密集的公寓區,沒有大型超市,是否會在那裡部署RVM?如果答案是否定的,我們是否會考慮優先在克萊門第人口密集的公寓區,如The Trilinq和Parc Clematis部署?

朱尼爾·普圖切裡博士:主席先生,如果我先回答關於RVM的問題。當然,如果何先生和所有議員認為有特定地點更適合部署RVM,我們確實有計劃將初始部署數量翻倍,並且我們正在根據反饋決定這些RVM的放置位置。

我們還將觀察首批1000臺RVM的使用模式,以幫助我們瞭解應將它們放在哪裡。但如果有具體地點,我們非常樂意考慮。

可持續發展與環境部長(傅海燕女士):謝謝主席。我想回應何大衛議員關於熱浪預警的評論。

我們大約有一百萬訂閱者下載了myENV應用程式。顯然,我認為我們還有很大的提升空間,應鼓勵更多新加坡人下載。何議員提到的語言可及性問題,正是我們希望在氣候適應年期間聽到的反饋。

此外,我要感謝許多議員提出的深思熟慮的建議,關於如何提升國家的抗熱能力。我認為這些建議將成為我們適應計劃中的寶貴財富。

主席:李慧瑩女士,您有三分鐘發言時間。

李慧瑩女士(義順):謝謝主席。我有兩個簡短的澄清問題要問高階國務部長朱尼爾。

首先,關於國家環境局(NEA)與市鎮理事會合作進行的監控攝像頭部署試點。能否提供更詳細的資訊,比如試點的持續時間?這些監控攝像頭的部署地點是如何確定的?

第二,關於二手菸。我注意到現有的額外禁菸規定。我想知道NEA是否考慮使用人工智慧技術,特別是在煙霧檢測方面。

朱尼爾·普圖切裡博士:主席先生,這個試點的性質是我們試圖賦予市鎮理事會更多權力,讓他們決定監控攝像頭的部署位置和執法行動,並由NEA協助支援。這是一個試點,目的是看看這種合作模式的效果如何。我們的目標是通過與市鎮理事會合作,提高對基層反饋的響應速度,縮短時間週期,加快部署和潛在執法行動的速度。

因此,我們仍在研究中,當然我們願意與李女士及其他人合作,提升NEA對市鎮理事會情報和判斷的響應能力,從而做得更好。

當然,人工智慧技術已經在試點中,結合一些視覺識別技術,用於檢測違法行為,正如李女士所描述的。

主席:黃世軒先生。

黃世軒先生(森巴旺):謝謝主席。我就我的食品韌性觀點有兩點簡短的評論。

第一,我感謝高階國務部長扎基將其從全球夥伴關係框架轉變為可信賴夥伴關係。請問部委是否考慮提供一份報告,說明這些全球夥伴關係與我們多元化進口策略有何不同,除了具體細節之外。

第二,雖然我大力推介植物基和替代蛋白,但我也注意到亞太地區25%的替代蛋白企業已設立在新加坡。部委能否承諾確保我們的植物基和替代蛋白產業未來能融入新加坡食品故事?我注意到新加坡國立大學已有成功案例,開發出可行的產品。

扎基·莫哈末先生:感謝議員的提問。關於替代蛋白,這仍在發展中。儘管目前市場需求未達到預期,生產替代蛋白的企業面臨一定挑戰。但議員說得對,有些企業已轉向提供其他形式的替代蛋白。我們仍在繼續資助新加坡多家企業的研發費用。

我們看到越來越多公司採用企業對企業(B2B)合作模式,而非單獨推銷自家產品。例如,他們與食品企業合作,利用現有的製造、分銷和品牌能力。比如,Umami Bioworks提供細胞培養海鮮平臺,與日本海鮮生產商丸紅日魯合作開發和商業化細胞培養金槍魚。

所以,這些產品並非不可行,只是成本方面,市場尚未完全準備好大規模接受。但我認為潛力巨大,我們會繼續支援。

關於議員提到的全球夥伴關係,目前還處於非常初期階段。正如我所說,我們去年才開始簽署一些協議。這是超越傳統“海外種植”策略的演進。

目前,夥伴關係涵蓋多種形式:政府間協議。例如與汶萊,我們正在探索如何發展水產養殖;與紐西蘭,我們簽訂了其他型別的協議。因此,全球夥伴關係讓我們能與志同道合的經濟體開展不同合作,增強危機時期的食品韌性。

但請給我們一些時間,因為這還很新,我們屆時會提供報告。

主席:傅哲祥先生,您有六分鐘發言時間。

傅哲祥先生(丹戎巴葛):主席先生,我想請部委回應我關於支援先驅小販的發言。

吳涵妍女士:主席先生,感謝傅先生的澄清,也感謝他與選區內先驅小販的互動,這對我們的文化非常重要。

他提出了關於家庭成員接手先驅小販攤位時租金過渡的問題。當補貼攤位轉讓給第一代補貼租戶的直系親屬時,我們有特別規定允許他們繼續支付補貼租金。但對於轉讓給其他親屬,如第三代親屬,我們提供三年合理過渡期,租金從補貼價逐步過渡到市場價。

傅先生還提到允許工作準證持有者作為攤位助理的問題,這在昨天的質詢時間已有部分回應。我們最近擴大了範圍,納入長期探訪準證(LTVP)及LTVP+持有者,他們已在新加坡並能為經濟作貢獻。此舉經過慎重考慮,旨在緩解人力挑戰,同時保持本地身份、遺產及小販中心文化。我們會監測影響,若有需要會考慮進一步措施。

主席:娜迪亞·薩姆丁女士。

娜迪亞·艾哈邁德·薩姆丁女士(宏茂橋):謝謝主席。我有三個後續問題。第一,關於食品韌性和林厝港農業區的初步規劃。請問國務部長能否詳細說明。

第二,我很高興聽到ACT基金的追加撥款。部委是否追蹤資金的使用進展及效用?是否有專案結案或失敗的詳細資料?

最後,關於防洪韌性。我很高興聽到建設社群韌性的計劃。請問高階議員能否詳細說明,除了PUB的簡訊警報服務外,PUB是否計劃開展緊急救援和疏散演練?

扎基·莫哈末先生:感謝議員。主席先生,我想向議員保證,林厝港總體規劃雖然我未在演講中提及,但仍是我們規劃的核心,只是時間較長,我們當時重點關注當前計劃。我們仍在努力進行跨部門規劃,最佳化土地利用、基礎設施需求及環境考量。

同時,規劃不僅是基礎設施,還包括市場因素,如市場調研、技術研究、開發新概念和理念。我們不想僅建傳統農場,而是未來農場。例如,我們考慮多租戶設施,更好利用共享服務,幫助農場生存,建設更具氣候韌性的設施。這將使我們在未來新發展中佔據優勢,也便於整合。

此外,我提到我們正整合物流和供應鏈管理,這有助於最佳化土地利用及設施共享服務。

這些是較長期規劃。與此同時,我向議員保證,我們的計劃仍在進行中。需要土地的農場,我們仍提供土地招標,招標將繼續。

關於ACT基金,正如我宣佈的,基金已擴充套件和增強。簡言之,我們確實追蹤。正如我早前宣佈,ACT 1階段過去幾年已資助約5500萬元,涵蓋60家公司約150個專案。迄今為止,失敗專案很少,約2個,失敗率約3%。大多數農場產量提高,生產水平提升,滿足本地需求。

我向議員保證,我們持續追蹤並盡力支援本地農場。

吳涵妍女士:主席先生,回應議員問題,除了通過myENV應用程式傳送警報外,我們還通過新合作擴大覆蓋面,確保洪水資訊通過多渠道傳達給新加坡人,例如通過電子道路收費車載裝置釋出洪水警報,直接傳遞資訊給市民。

關於緊急疏散演練,PUB與不同社群合作。例如,我曾參加居民網路和社群緊急響應組織的會議,幫助居民瞭解應為其獨特地區制定何種計劃,並從中生成和建立支援鄰居和朋友的方式,以應對洪水事件。

我們希望與更多社群合作,啟用他們,讓他們思考緊急情況下的應對措施。

最後,我還要補充,我們通過水位感測器和閉路電視增強了洪水監測能力,以便PUB能儘快派遣快速反應隊伍應對洪水。

主席:普里塔姆·辛格先生,儘管您的發言時間很短,但您一直舉手,您可以提出最後一個澄清問題。

普里塔姆·辛格先生(亞逸拉惹):謝謝主席。問題很快。在我的發言中,我問過NEA用什麼指標決定是否應增加大型回收箱的收集頻率。我不認為聽到高階國務部長朱尼爾對此的回答。

同時,議會宣佈NEA與公共廢物收集商合作試點安裝回收箱感測器系統,以在箱滿時觸發警報。我瞭解到該試點因新冠疫情推遲。請問高階國務部長能否分享試點結果?

朱尼爾·普圖切裡博士:主席先生,NEA規定小型藍色回收箱每週至少收集三次,大型2200升側裝回收箱在組屋區每週至少收集一次。我們還要求公共廢物收集商定期清理藍色回收箱,確保不溢位,並在24小時內響應反饋。這些是我們跟蹤的指標。

上午11時30分

我們也藉此機會呼籲大家盡責使用藍色回收箱,不要亂扔垃圾,這樣箱子溢位的可能性會降低,減少增加收集頻率的需求,同時提高回收物料的回收率。

辛格先生還問及人工智慧技術。關鍵是提高準確性和靈敏度,避免產生過多誤報或漏報,這項工作正在進行中。

主席:薄麗珊女士,我可以請您撤回修正案嗎?

上午11時31分

薄麗珊女士:主席先生,我謹代表所有參與環境與水資源部供應委員會的議員,衷心感謝傅海燕部長、高階國務部長扎基、高階國務部長朱尼爾、高階議員吳涵妍,以及環境與水資源部、公共事業局、國家環境局、新加坡食品局的所有成員。

主席先生,我請求撤回我的修正案。

[(程式文本) 修正案,經許可,撤回。 (程式文本)]

[(程式文本) 頭L項下的2,890,738,400元被批准列入主要預算。 (程式文本)]

[(程式文本) 頭L項下的820,076,600元被批准列入發展預算。 (程式文本)]

英文原文

SPRS Hansard · Fetched: 2026-05-02

[(proc text) Head L (cont) – (proc text)]

[(proc text) Resumption of Debate on Question [3 March 2026], (proc text)]

[(proc text) "That the total sum to be allocated for Head L of the Estimates be reduced by $100." – [Ms Poh Li San]. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Question again proposed. (proc text)]

The Chairman : Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad.

10.33 am

The Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Mr Zaqy Mohamad) : Mr Chairman, I will speak on our approach to strengthen food resilience.

As a country heavily reliant on imports, we are particularly vulnerable to external shocks and supply chain disruptions. Over the past five years, Singapore's food supply has been repeatedly tested by events beyond our control.

During COVID-19, there were concerns that countries' COVID-19 measures would lead to food supply disruptions, such as eggs. In 2022, Malaysia's ban on the export of live chickens disrupted their supply to Singapore. More recently, the disruption in pork supply from Bulan, Indonesia in 2023, due to an African Swine Fever outbreak, further highlighted our vulnerabilities.

Each time, we managed to tide through the disruption with the collective support of our importers, retailers and consumers who switched to alternative options. We must stay prepared for rising geopolitical tensions and trade restrictions which could disrupt our food supply. The latest chain of events in the Middle East only underscores this global climate of uncertainty.

We also need to manage our risks from animal diseases, which add to further pressure on global food supply and global prices. As a long-term risk, we must be able to adapt to climate change, such as extreme and erratic weather which affects crop yields globally.

This is why we need to build options and flexibility to deal with the different types of disruptions – whether they affect single or multiple food items, single sources or entire regions, and whether they last for days or they last for months.

We have learnt many lessons from our "30 by 30" initiative. While it had successfully catalysed local production growth, mainly focusing on one pillar – Grow Local – left us vulnerable to the very disruptions that we sought to address. What have we learnt? A single-pillar approach, no matter how ambitious, cannot provide the food supply resilience that Singapore needs.

This brings us to the Singapore Food Story 2, which Minister Grace Fu announced in November last year. It includes four pillars: diversify imports, grow local, stockpile and global partnerships. These enable us to tap onto the different combinations to address different types of scenarios and that will strengthen our food resilience.

But first, what does it mean to achieve "food resilience"? Food resilience means ensuring Singapore has reliable access to our basic needs – ensuring that during disruptions, there is still food on the table, food on our shelves and meals remain as familiar to us as possible. It will not always be possible to have everyone's favourite food and brand available in every disruption. I think we have to accept that. But we will prioritise staples such as rice, proteins and vegetables. And like any insurance policy, we must be strategic about what we protect and how we protect it. This approach allows us to provide food assurance where it matters most, whilst managing our risks responsibly.

The first food pillar is for industry to diversify imports. This means importing our food from multiple sources and building up alternative sources. Doing so reduces the impact when there are disruptions to particular sources, helping us to stabilise our food supply. And also, it makes easier to pivot to alternative sources when needed.

The Government will support the industry by accrediting new sources, for food of higher food safety concern, such as meat and eggs; we will help our local food importers with business matching; and safeguarding supply stability by establishing regionalisation agreements with key sources.

When disease outbreaks happen, we do not shut down supply from entire countries – we get more precise these days. Our regionalisation agreements allow us to continue importing from disease-free areas within affected countries. For example, during Brazil's Avian Influenza outbreak last year, we maintained poultry imports from accredited farms in unaffected regions, rather than restricting imports from the whole of Brazil.

We will continue to facilitate accreditation and explore regionalisation arrangements with suitable sources.

Diversification alone is not enough and has its constraints. For example, importers may need to buy from sources that are not necessarily the cheapest. So, we have to also strengthen the resilience of existing food supply chains by working with like-minded countries and regions. This is where global partnerships, our newest pillar, comes in.

Mr Ng Shi Xuan asked how we assess whether our global partnerships can support diversification. As shared in Parliament last month, partnerships can take various forms, such as facilitating production overseas, in addition to having government-to-government arrangements and agreements.

For such partnerships to be meaningful and sustainable, they must be win-win. And this will look different for various partnerships. As the Member has mentioned, recent examples include the two memoranda agreements on rice trade signed with Vietnam and Thailand last year. These help us ensure a stable rice supply to Singapore and provide an avenue for Singapore to activate additional rice supplies when needed.

The joint study with Brunei on the feasibility of an Agri-Tech Food Zone in Brunei will explore how both countries can leverage on our respective strengths to enhance agri-food trade and food supply resilience, starting with aquaculture.

When the next disruption hits, we do not want to be scrambling for alternatives. We want to have pre-established channels, we want to have tested protocols and trusted partners who are ready to respond. This transforms crisis management from reactive scrambling to proactive deployment. We will continue to explore mutually beneficial arrangements with like-minded economies to strengthen our food supply resilience.

Chairman, even with our efforts to reduce the likelihood and impact of disruptions, it is still possible that we could face widespread disruptions where food cannot reach our borders for some time. And this is why we will stockpile essential food items, such as rice. It gives us the time and breathing space to restore our food flows and sustain our population.

As shared in this House in November last year, since COVID-19, we have expanded our stockpiles to include frozen protein and canned vegetables to cover all three food groups – carbohydrates, fibre and protein. We will continue to work with the industry to stockpile more effectively.

Moving on to grow local. Grow local remains an important pillar of our food resilience strategy. Stockpiles are finite and imports can be disrupted. Local farms can provide us with a regenerative source of fresh food, that is maintained even during prolonged disruptions. More of our farms are moving towards controlled environments which makes them more climate-resilient and land-efficient.

Ms Poh Li San asked about the lessons learnt from failed local farms and Mr Ng Shi Xuan asked about Singapore's role in alternative proteins. We must first recognise that most of our farming industry is nascent and in an early phase of growth. It will take them time to develop viable technologies and business models. We must also take a practical approach on what we can grow locally in a sustainable manner. It would neither be efficient nor possible to locally produce every food item that we have on our plates today.

Hence, our refreshed local production targets under Singapore Food Story 2, we are focusing on fibre and protein types that are feasible to be produced at scale efficiently in Singapore. These are fresh leafy and fruited vegetables, such as xiao bai cai and tomatoes, beansprouts and mushrooms for fibre; and eggs and seafood for protein. These goals take into account the strengths of our local farming ecosystem and the potential for growth in supply.

We have also got to be realistic about our economics. Our local farms will always face higher land and production costs compared to farms from the region. Unfortunately, that is simply our reality. But the situation is no different from how Singapore differentiates from low-cost alternatives in other industries, such as manufacturing. We have to improve our value-add, bring higher-productivity and cost-efficiency, and with Government's support to invest in capability and capacity development.

But here is what we have also learnt on the demand side: consumers and large buyers, like supermarkets, are willing to pay a reasonable premium for fresher, pesticide-free local produce that comes with guaranteed supply certainty. What this means is that they want consistent supply at scale. So, the key is thus to get our farms to the right scale and cost structure. Take our local egg industry. It has achieved this balance, with local production making up to 30% of local consumption.

Ms Lee Hui Ying and Mr Cai Yinzhou asked how we will support and promote awareness of our local farms. We are helping farms to increase productivity and reap economies of scale, we are helping them to build capabilities, strengthen supply resilience of agri-inputs and enhance demand offtake.

The first tranche of the Agri-food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund, launched in 2021, has shown that Singapore farms can transform into advanced farming operations that are of higher yield, that are more pest- and disease- resilient, and increasingly climate-resilient too.

Since its launch, we have awarded $55 million to nearly 150 projects. The Fund has enabled both agri- and aqua-farms to adopt everything from simple, small-scale technologies, like LED grow lights, automated feeders and automated irrigation systems that reduce manual labour, to large-scale farming systems in climate-controlled environments that guarantee year-round production regardless of the weather.

10.45 am

Take Singapore Aquaculture Technology as a good example of this transformation. Using ACT Fund support, instead of adopting conventional open cage fish farm technologies, they deployed a closed containment aquaculture system. What is the outcome? They now operate at three times the productivity of conventional sea-based fish farms and in using closed containment aquaculture system, they face lower risk from environmental hazards, such as algal blooms. Closed containment aquaculture system technology is still nascent and requires industry readiness.

Thus, to Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin's question, it will take time for the local industry to adopt systems such as closed containment aquaculture system. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will continue to support farms who are keen and ready for this transition.

Another beneficiary of the ACT Fund is Yili Farm who upgraded their cultivation systems to optimise layout, improve crop protection and integrate with their centralised nursery and irrigation system. This enabled faster crop cycles and a 20% increase in productivity. These developments give us confidence to enhance the Fund to support our farms further.

Today, I am announcing a new tranche of funding of $70 million under the ACT Fund 2. This will be made available from April 2026, over five years, and it represents our largest industry scheme to date to support technology adoption and local agriculture capability and capacity building.

At the same time, it will introduce a new funding component – the Industry Partnerships for Capability Transformation Grant. This is in response to feedback from the industry on the need for collaborative approaches to tackle common challenges, such as limited economies of scale and supply chain inefficiencies.

This new scheme will co-fund strategic partnerships between farms and ecosystem players on the development and deployment of industry-wide solutions that can support multiple farms. Examples will include farms and industry players collaborating on integrated delivery systems which streamlines the process from farm-to-market, reducing transportation cost and improving product freshness.

For the aquaculture sector, we will also support both sea-based and land-based farms to adopt newer technologies to improve productivity and consistency of output through demonstration projects. One example is the automated vaccination of fingerlings which can reduce labour intensity. Successfully demonstrated technologies can subsequently be adopted by the industry via the ACT Fund 2.

Beyond technology, quality agri-inputs, such as eggs, fingerlings and feed, are fundamental to success for aquaculture. Today, farms source a majority of their fry and fingerling from overseas sources with less consistent quality and lower survival rates due to the long transport stress.

In November 2024, we introduced the National Broodstock Centre and Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme to supply our farms with high quality eggs and fingerlings, with higher survival and grow-out rates. The National Broodstock Centre produces disease-free broodstock that commercial hatcheries then develop into high quality fingerlings under strict biosecurity standards.

For farms, this translates directly into better profitability. These premium fingerlings grow faster, survive better and they convert feed more efficiently. That means that farms reach market quicker with lower feed costs and fewer losses.

We started out with Asian Seabass and have since successfully expanded into Marine Tilapia. Five hatcheries have been recognised under the Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme and can now access quality seabass eggs and marine tilapia brooder fingerlings from the National Broodstock Centre. This year, we will expand our national breeding programme to include Red Snapper and work towards industry-led efforts to increase the supply of Whiteleg shrimp larvae and grouper fingerlings.

High-quality eggs and fingerlings set the foundation, but health and nutrition inputs determine whether farms achieve optimal growth and disease resistance. SFA's new Integrated Hatchery Support Programme will help local hatcheries adopt specialised feeds and quality vaccines that maximise the growth potential of the high quality fries or fingerlings. And this will be done through demonstration trials to build farm's confidence in investing in better quality input.

Together, the National Broodstock Centre, Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme and Integrated Hatchery Support Programme create a reinforced aquaculture value chain for both sea-based and land-based farms that improve fry quality, increase yields and sharpen competitiveness.

Our offtake programmes have been making progress for the food types that matter most to Singapore's food resilience – and we aim to do better. Central to this effort is the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF), which has become the critical demand aggregation engine that matches our farms' production capacity with local needs.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked about the effectiveness of SAFEF's demand aggregation efforts. SAFEF has created sustainable brands like "The Straits Fish" and "SG Farmers' Market" now stocked in major supermarkets – FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage and Giant, bringing local produce closer to the community. Public response has been encouraging. For example, the sales for xiao bai cai under the "SG Farmers' Market" brand have increased about sevenfold since its launch in May 2024.

We are expanding the demand aggregation model in 2026 with more product varieties and The Straits Fish marine tilapia ready-to-eat products. SAFEF will also partner more food and beverage (F&B) players to integrate SG Farmers' Market® product range in their menus. This effort aims to facilitate farms’ mainstream market penetration by connecting retail demands with a fragmented local farm supply chain. And this is just due to our small agriculture sector. In aggregated offtake programmes, we give farms the sales certainty they need to scale production. At the same time, supermarkets, hotels and caterers are given the confidence in a guaranteed reliable local supply for them to commit shelf space and marketing support.

The effectiveness of our Singapore Food Story also depends on our readiness to respond swiftly to disruptions. SFA is strengthening early warning systems to provide greater lead time for action. Our new risk monitoring dashboard and food supply visibility tool, developed with PSA BDP, provides early warnings of developments that may affect food imports and strengthens Singapore's upstream food supply chain visibility. This tool has already proven its value – it expedited our risk assessments during Brazil's Avian Influenza outbreaks in May last year and the recent conflict in the Middle East.

For aquaculture, we are upgrading our Harmful Algal Bloom Prediction Model to integrate forecasted weather conditions for more accurate environmental predictions. This will alert farms ahead of anticipated events so that they can implement mitigation measures like aeration or emergency harvests to minimise stock losses.

Together, these initiatives strengthen SFA's ability to assess, plan and mitigate supply disruption risks before they impact Singapore's food resilience. I thank Mr Foo Cexiang for his suggestions on our food pillars. Strong supply chain logistics are indeed a critical backbone for resilience. We will continue to work closely with relevant agencies and industry, including to consider your suggestions.

Chairman, building Singapore's food resilience requires all of us to move beyond individual interests and act with collective urgency. The Government will continue doing our part – be it investing in the ACT Fund 2, expanding the National Broodstock Centre, creating offtake programmes with SAFEF and strengthening early warning systems. But we cannot secure our food future alone.

I hope that businesses do more to support our local food production and our overall Singapore Food Story 2 efforts. Diversify your supply sources and commit to local production as a strategic buffer. Supermarkets should expand local produce shelf space, restaurants should join our Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme and food manufacturers should partner with SAFEF to develop local supply chains.

When you choose local suppliers, you are helping to invest in Singapore's food resilience that will protect your business during the next major disruption or major pandemic scenario. For consumers, your choices shape our collective resilience. Choose local produce even if it costs slightly more and be more flexible with our food choices during crises and shortages. That premium we pay for our local produce is our insurance for reliable food supply when things fail.

Chairman, our founding fathers understood that Singapore's survival depends on collective action over individual interests. As our founding Prime Minister often said, we must leave nothing to chance when it comes to Singapore's survival. Today, we apply that same principle to food resilience with the Singapore Food Story 2 – building comprehensive resilience through collective action, because our food future is too important to leave to chance alone.

The Chairman : Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Goh Hanyan) : Mr Chairman, climate adaptation can sound distant – something handled somewhere else by someone else. But in truth, it shows up in everyday life through the sudden downpour that disrupts your commute or the heat that lingers in your flat a little too long after sunset. These small but growing inconveniences tell us something important: the environment around us is changing and how we respond will shape how we live.

In simple terms, climate adaptation means getting ready for disruptions we know are coming. How can we help ourselves stay comfortable and stay safe as the climate shifts. For Singapore, this work is becoming more urgent. Yesterday, Minister Grace Fu announced, we are designating 2026 as our Year of Climate Adaptation. A year to increase awareness and bring everyone into the action.

At MSE, this reflects our unified approach to "we first". Everyone has a stake in how Singapore adapts and everyone has a role in making it work. Over the next few minutes, I will share how we are bringing this approach to life along our coasts, across our communities and in our daily action.

First, as a land scarce country, Singapore is vulnerable to rising seas. In simple terms, if we do nothing, each rise in sea level means less land for us.

We are already seeing some effects today. In January this year, spring tides flooded parts of East Coast Park, even without rain. This shows us that coastal flooding is not a distant future problem, it is happening now.

The Government has committed billions through the Coastal and Flood Protection Fund and this is a long-term investment measured in generations. At its core, coastal protection is about safeguarding land while supporting the way people and nature share our coasts. We see this in Singapore, where steel and concrete abut wilderness. I saw it myself when I joined a few nature group volunteers on an intertidal walk. Sea creatures like nudibranchs and sand dollars, right next to Tanah Merah ferry terminal.

We are speaking to communities about coastal protection measures and how they could be designed. This includes residents, businesses, researchers and nature groups, who all interact with our coast differently, yet care about it deeply.

I attended one of these sessions at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, discussing coastal protection around mangrove habitats. The conversation was rich of perspectives, discussing trade-offs and exploring how we might combine coastal protection measures with public spaces.

One suggestion that emerged was transforming the Kranji Tidal Gatehouse into a viewing deck. We are listening and we are onboarding these views as we develop our coastal protection measures across Singapore. Because when people help shapes what protects them, protection becomes something shared rather than something imposed.

Second, with extreme weather events happening more often, I am very sure everyone has been caught in unexpected heavy storms. We continue upgrading our drains and infrastructure, but no city can plan and build its way out of every possible storm. For true resilience, we must all be empowered to protect ourselves. As Ms Poh Li San highlighted, businesses can take a step to protect their premises from flooding.

To help them understand what those steps may be, PUB worked with industry through an Alliance-for-Action to develop a Flood Resilient Developments Guidebook. The Guidebook will be launched in mid-2026 on PUB's website. It will help business owners assess their flood exposure through a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Flood Risk Matrix and decide what protection measures they need for their properties. The guidance is practical and draws directly from industry experience.

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Beyond what businesses can do, preparedness starts with each one of us. Look out for PUB's "Get Flood-wise in a F.L.A.S.H." campaign or join their outreach events. Learn simple actions to keep yourself and your family safe during heavy rains or floods.

Ms Nadia would be glad that we are bringing preparedness to your doorstep. Our teams are visiting flood-prone areas, distributing portable flood barriers that you can set up quickly. We have already distributed over 16,000 of these barriers and are continuing throughout this year. Join us and act now by subscribing to PUB's flood alerts on Telegram, X or on the MyENV app.

Next, coastal and flood protection are important to keeping Singapore safe and liveable. An engaged community is what truly makes the difference. We are encouraged to see communities across Singapore coming forward, coming together with solutions to protect our environment and promote sustainability.

We are supporting your efforts through the SG Eco Fund. Since 2020, the SG Eco Fund has awarded over $21 million to support close to 500 initiatives, engaging over 700,000 individuals.

I am particularly excited about an SG Eco Fund project tackling indoor heat for seniors, a topic less understood and not talked about enough. HeatAware SG by Sustainable Living Lab puts sensors in homes to help seniors understand temperature build-up and gives timely cooling advice.

One senior who they worked with had never used fans, even on hot days, a habit brought over from kampong days. But imagine, with rising temperatures, this risks heat stroke. With simple monitoring and gentle prompts, seniors are now empowered with the information they need to stay safe when it gets too hot.

Ultimately, to adapt, we must first see clearly. When we understand what is changing around us, we can prepare. That is how societies successfully weather change.

Ms Hany Soh asked about expanding the SG Eco Fund's scope to support more ground-up action. As climate risks grow, we need more focussed action. So, we are aligned on that.

That is why I am announcing the Climate Adaptation Package under the SG Eco Fund. Starting 1 May 2026, we will commit up to $5 million over two years to fund projects, like HeatAware SG, that build awareness and inspire action on climate adaptation topics. These topics, include heat resilience, as Mr Ng Shi Xuan, Mr David Hoe and Ms Valerie Lee highlighted; flood protection, water conservation and supporting local produce. We will open applications all year-round and increase funding for supportable project costs from 80% to 90%.

Climate change can feel overwhelming. But we believe you can make a difference. If you have ideas, take advantage of the SG Eco Fund. We want to hear from you and we are here to support you to turn your ideas into reality. To our young people, your energy and your ideas are exactly what we need to build a resilient Singapore, one that you can inherit with confidence.

Mr Lee Hong Chuang would be heartened to know that we are also committed to empowering our young people in building resilience beyond our shores. The National Youth Council's Singapore-Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Youth Fund supports youth sustainability projects across Southeast Asia. They can also volunteer in sustainability projects overseas through the Youth Corps Expedition Project.

Finally, climate adaptation is also about daily behaviour – the habits we form, the choices we make and the responsibilities we all carry as individuals.

Let me now say a few words in Mandarin about the Beverage Container Return Scheme and how daily actions can drive sustainability.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] Singapore is facing severe challenges brought about by climate change. We must seek better solutions to adapt to these changes. MSE hopes to encourage all sectors of society to work together with us to make sustainability a part of our daily lives.

The Beverage Container Return Scheme that Dr Janil Puthucheary mentioned yesterday is a good example. Starting next month, supermarkets, hawker centres, coffee shops and some retail outlets will gradually begin selling bottled and canned beverages that are printed or attached with the scheme's deposit mark.

To help consumers adapt to the scheme, local major supermarkets will uniformly adopt the following practices. The prices displayed on shelves will not include the 10-cent deposit. Supermarkets will clearly inform consumers that they need to pay an additional 10-cent deposit at checkout. Smaller retailers may adopt different pricing methods. We will continue to work with them to ensure that pricing for bottled and canned beverages remain clear and transparent.

After finishing the drinks, consumers can put the marked containers into reverse vending machines to retrieve the 10-cent deposit. SimplyGo EZ-Link cards and concession cards or DBS PayLah! can be used to retrieve the deposit. The new scheme will not only increase the recycling rates of beverage containers but also encourage Singaporeans to develop good recycling habits.

Before launching BCRS, we consulted F&B operators extensively and identified two feasible approaches for recycling containers. The first approach is to pour canned beverages into cups for customers to enjoy or to collect the container after consumers finish their drinks. In such cases, F&B operators will not charge customers the 10-cent deposit.

We will classify this category of operators as "Return Right F&B" merchants. These F&B operators will display notices in their stores to inform customers that they will not be charged a deposit. We understand that operators who choose to collect the containers themselves need to put in more effort to modify their work processes. To assist these operators, we will provide a one-time subsidy of $500 for each "Return Right F&B" outlet. Operators can submit their applications to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The second approach is to charge customers who purchase canned beverages a 10-cent deposit. After finishing their drinks, customers can put the container into any reverse vending machine to retrieve their 10-cent deposit. This model will be more practical for most coffee shop and hawker centre stall owners.

Implementing and perfecting a new policy takes time. During this transition period, we seek the public's support and understanding. At the same time, we also welcome feedback and suggestions for our reference and improvement.

As long as we work together, we can all do our part to protect the environment.

( In English ): Mr Chairman, climate adaptation is about preparing early and acting together. From coasts to floods to community action, each effort depends on all of us. This is how nations endure, by adapting together, preparing early and building for generations. The Government will continue investing for the long-term and we invite every Singaporean to be part of this effort. Because that is what "we first" means – a shared responsibility for a shared future. [ Applause. ]

The Chairman : Ms Poh Li San.

Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang West) : Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister, Senior Minister of State and also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. I have a question for Senior Minister of State Dr Janil. I highlighted the expensive irony of food waste in Singapore and asked for MSE's plans and efforts to reduce food waste, and in his reply, Dr Janil mentioned only the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. I would like to highlight that this Act was a Private Members' Bill led by former Member of Parliament Mr Louis Ng, Ms Hany Soh, Mr Edward Chia and myself, together with a large committee of green activists and stakeholders, through five years of consultation and ground-up efforts.

At an average of 128 kilogrammes of food waste per capita per year, and this is an increasing trend, Singapore ranks amongst the top 15 countries worldwide with highest food waste per capita. The restaurants and hotels alone are responsible for about 28% of food waste and that is a substantial proportion for a small group. I would like to ask Dr Janil, will there be further plans and efforts by MSE to reduce food waste and will there be more targeted collaboration with the restaurants and hotel sector to reverse the growing trend of food waste?

The Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Dr Janil Puthucheary) : Sir, the short answer is, yes. We do indeed want to improve our food waste management and encourage all the stakeholders involved to participate. We have, as Ms Poh has highlighted, a number of mechanisms and platforms, as well as legislation in place. We would like to make sure those are fully utilised and continue to work with stakeholders to then study how we can improve the processes.

At the moment, we are focusing, in the news and in the House on other waste streams – plastics and packaging – but indeed, food waste is something that we do need to think very seriously about because of the opportunity that it presents in terms of reducing our wastage, improving our resource recycling and reducing the amount that is diverted towards waste and landfill.

The Chairman : Ms Hany Soh.

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee) : Thank you, Chairman. I have two clarifications. The first is in relation to the Beverage Container Return Scheme. I understand from Senior Minister of State Dr Janil's speech yesterday that the "Return Right" F&B outlets will be given a specific decal to inform consumers about their plans. In this regard, I wish to ask whether the decals have already been distributed to all of these stakeholders and are we looking at implementing it by 1 April as well? And to further avoid any confusion among the patrons in the F&B outlets, can we explore having a centralised compiled list of these vendors and perhaps put it on MyENV app?

The second clarification is in relation to the SG Eco Fund. It is heartening to hear from the Minister that $50 million granted since November 2020 has engaged more than 700,000 people on sustainability related efforts. In this aspect, can I check whether we have also been keeping track in terms of the amount of the waste or energy and water resources that we have conserved through rolling out of this initiative through the SG Eco Funds? As I mentioned in my speech, it is important to actually measure to manage the outcomes.

Dr Janil Puthucheary : Sir, I thank Ms Hany Soh for her questions. The decals are available if the F&B outlets sign up to be part of the "Return Right" F&B scheme. I would not want Members to think that this has to be done by 1 April. Even after 1 April, an F&B outlet can choose to sign up.

But if it has not yet signed up and is not on the list as a "Return Right" F&B outlet, then they have an obligation to charge the 10-cent deposit for the 10-cent deposit to follow the container with the customer. Whoever has the container then has the responsibility to deal with it. So, the decals are available. We will be distributing them to outlets that sign up, either before 1 April or after.

The idea of a centralised list is something we can certainly look at and consider.

The Chairman : The clarifications are getting longer. The guillotine time is 11.30 am. Yes, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh.

Ms Goh Hanyan : To Ms Hany Soh's question about whether we measure the outcomes of SG Eco Fund. Today, we do not measure the outcomes in terms of the way that the Member has described, in terms of waste reduced or energy saved. However, we do track in terms of the number of applicants that come forward, the profile of the applicants and the quality of the projects that we get. This is mainly because the SG Eco Fund was started with the objective of empowering and to increase awareness of sustainability objectives. However, over time, as the fund evolves and matures, we could consider.

The Chairman : Mr David Hoe, for your two cuts and seven minutes.

Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok) : Thank you, Chairman. I have two clusters of question. The first is regarding the how of the climate adaptation plan, and second is about the Beverage Container Return Scheme.

The Minister mentioned yesterday that heat advisories will be sent out through the myENV app. I think that is really useful because most of us have a smart phone today. Yesterday, what I did was, after Parliament, I went to meet my grassroot leaders, in a room of more than 40 grassroot leaders, and I shared this with my grassroot leaders. Then, I asked, "With a show of hands, how many of us actually have the myENV app?" It was only a handful of grassroot leaders who downloaded this myENV app. So, I would like to ask, whether from MSE's point of view, do we know what is the current number of people who downloaded this app? What is our view to that?

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After that, in my head, I was, "Oh no, for those uncles and aunties 不认英文字怎么办?" So, I started scrolling through the app and I tried to change the language setting to Mandarin —

The Chairman : Mr Hoe, can you get to your clarification? I just asked that everyone be precise.

Mr David Hoe : Okay. My question is whether the app itself has a multilingual feature so that our seniors or those who are not fully competent in English will be able to use this app.

On the second question regarding the Beverage Container Return Scheme, I am supportive of the recycling efforts and the deployment of 1,000 reverse vending machines (RVMs). I would like to clarify whether in areas in Clementi such as Faber Hills Estate, where it is a mixture of landed and densely populated condominiums with no large supermarkets, will there be a deployment of an RVM there? If the answer is not yet, would we consider prioritising condominiums that are densely populated such as The Trilinq and Parc Clematis in Clementi?

Dr Janil Puthucheary : Sir, if I could address the question on the RVMs first. Certainly, and I would ask Mr Hoe and all Members if there are specific locations that they think would be better served by an RVM, we do have a plan to double the number from the initial deployment and we are looking at feedback to decide where those RVMs should be placed.

We will also be looking at the usage patterns of the first 1,000 to help us understand where we would locate them. But if there are specific locations, we would be more than happy to consider them.

The Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien) : Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to respond to Member David Hoe's comment on heat advisories.

We have about one million subscribers who have downloaded the myENV app. Obviously, I think that is a lot more that we can do and we should encourage more Singaporeans to download it. The issues that Mr Hoe has mentioned about language accessibility is precisely what we like to hear from you during this engagement over the Year of Climate Adaptation.

Also, I would like to put on record my thanks to many Members who have given us very well thought-through, considered suggestions on how we should improve the heat resilience of the country. I think that these will be gold nuggets that we could incorporate into our adaptation plan.

The Chairman : Ms Lee Hui Ying, y our three cuts in six minutes.

Ms Lee Hui Ying (Nee Soon) : Thank you, Mr Chair. I just have two quick clarifications for Senior Minister of State Janil.

First, regarding the pilot that NEA is going through with the Town Councils on the surveillance camera deployments. Can I get further granular details in terms of the length of this pilot that is ongoing? How long would it be taking? How are these locations being identified for surveillance camera deployment?

Second, on second-hand smoke. I note the additional smoking prohibitions that are in place. I am just wondering whether NEA could consider AI-enabled technology to be used, especially on smoke detection as well.

Dr Janil Puthucheary : Sir, the nature of the pilot is that we are trying to empower the Town Councils to make some of those decisions about the location and the enforcement action that they would like NEA's assistance to support. It is a pilot to see how well this can work, but the intent is to make sure that, in working in partnership with the Town Councils, we increase the responsiveness to ground feedback and shorten the time cycle, increase the speed of the deployment and the potential enforcement action.

So, we are still studying and certainly we would be happy to work with Ms Lee and everyone else in terms of improving the responsiveness of NEA to the Town Councils' intelligence or sense-making, in order to do this better.

Certainly, AI-enabled technology is already being piloted together with some visual recognition technology for the purposes of detection of offences, such as Ms Lee had described.

The Chairman : Mr Ng Shi Xuan.

Mr Ng Shi Xuan (Sembawang) : Thank you, Chairman. Just two quick remarks on my food resilience points.

The first being that I thank Senior Minister of State Zaqy for framing it from global partnerships to trusted partnerships. Will the Ministry consider giving us a report card on how these global partnerships have been different from our diversifying imports strategy besides going into specific details.

Point two is, while I made quite a pitch for plant-based and alternative proteins, I also note that 25% of Asia Pacific's alternative proteins are already based in Singapore. Can the Ministry make a commitment to make sure that our plant-based protein and alternative protein scene will somehow make its way back into the Singapore Food Story in the future, as I note that the National University of Singapore has some successful cases where they have created viable products for us?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : I thank the Member for his questions. On alternative proteins, that is still in play. Although today, the market demand is not where one would have thought it would be, so there is a bit of challenge for those who are producing alternative proteins. But the Member is also right, that there are some who have pivoted to providing alternative proteins in other forms. We are still continuing to fund research and development (R&D) costs for a number of these outfits out here in Singapore.

We are seeing companies increasingly adopting, for example, business-to-business (B2B) partnership models rather than going to just market independently their own product. To give some examples, they work with food corporates to allow some of these startups to leverage existing manufacturing, distribution and brand capabilities. For example, they also provide cell-based seafood cultivation platforms like Umami Bioworks. They developed a joint-production agreement with the Japanese seafood producer Maruha Nichiro to develop and commercialise cell-cultivated tuna.

So, it is not that they are not viable or not feasible, just that cost-wise, I think the market is not yet ready for this at full scale. But I think there is certainly potential and we will continue to support.

On the Member's other question, which was on global partnerships, this is at a very nascent stage. As I have shared, we have only started signing some of these agreements last year. So, it is an evolution beyond just what we used to call "grow overseas".

Right now, with partnerships, you have a variety of things that you can do: government-to-government agreements. Some parts of it, like with Brunei, we are exploring how we could look at growing aquaculture, for example, as I mentioned in my speech; and with New Zealand, there are other types of agreements that we put in place. So, I think the global partnerships today allow us to do different things with different like-minded economies that will help us build our food resilience in times of crisis.

But do give us a bit of time because this is fairly nascent and new, but certainly, we will make a report when the time comes.

The Chairman : Mr Foo Cexiang, for your six-minute cut.

Mr Foo Cexiang (Tanjong Pagar) : Mr Chairman, I just seek a response from the Ministry on my cut on supporting our Pioneer hawkers.

Ms Goh Hanyan : Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Foo for his clarification and I appreciate his engagement with our Pioneer hawkers in his constituency, which is an extremely important segment of our culture.

He raised questions and concerns about rental transition when family members take over pioneer hawker stalls. So, when a subsidised stall is transferred to an immediate family member of the first-generation subsidised rent-holder, we have a special provision to allow him or her to pay subsidised rental rate. However, for transfers to other family members and relatives, for example, third-generation relatives, we provide a reasonable timeframe of three years for the rent to be staggered from subsidised rent to market rent.

Mr Foo also raised a second point on allowing Work Permit holders as stall assistance for stalls operating over 10 years and this was somewhat addressed yesterday during Question Time as well. We recently expanded the pool to include Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) and LTVP+ holders who are already in Singapore and can contribute to our economy. This move was carefully considered to help ease manpower challenges while also preserving the local identity and heritage, and the complexion of our hawker centre and our hawker culture. We will monitor the impact because this is a very recent move and we will contemplate further moves if necessary.

The Chairman : Ms Nadia Samdin.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio) : Thank you, Chairman. I have three follow-up questions. The first is regarding food resilience and the initial plans for the Lim Chu Kang Agri-District. Could the Minister of State please elaborate on that.

The second, I am very glad to hear of the top-up to the ACT Fund. Does the Ministry track progress and utility of the funds dispersed and are there details of project closures or unsuccessful projects once disbursed?

The last one is on flood resilience. I am glad to hear about the plans to build community resilience. Could the Senior Parliamentary Secretary please elaborate, beyond the PUB SMS alert service, are there emergency rescue and evacuation drills that the PUB intends to carry out?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : Thank you to the Member. Sir, I just want to assure the Member that the Lim Chu Kang masterplan, though I have not mentioned it in my speech, is pretty much still central to our master-planning – just that it is a bit more longer term and we were just focusing on what we are planning to do today. Nonetheless, we are still hard at work on it, with inter-agency planning, to look at how we can better optimise the land use, infrastructure needs as well as environmental considerations of how we can get this done a lot better.

At the same time, it is important that as we do master-planning, it is not just about infrastructure. There are also market aspects that we need to consider, such as market-sensing, technical studies, developing new concepts and ideas. You do not want just to build farms as you see them today, but farms of tomorrow. We are looking at, for example, multi-tenanted facilities that can make better use of shared services to help our farms survive, build more climate resilient facilities. This puts us on the map for new developments in future that we can also consolidate.

Also, I spoke about how we are looking at integrating some of the things like logistics, supply chain management. That, I think helps optimise land use and certainly facilities and shared services for our companies.

So, these are a bit more longer-term. In the meantime, I assure Members that our plans are still in play. For farms that need land, we are still providing our land use tenders, so, those will still continue.

Our ACT Fund, as I have announced, has just been expanded and enhanced. In short, we do track. In fact, as I announced earlier, we have funded about $55 million in the last few years under ACT 1, and that covers about 150 projects across 60 companies. Thus far, the numbers that have folded are very small – I think only about two out of 60, so that is about a 3% failure rate. For the most of it, we are seeing most of these farms providing higher yields, better production levels and producing what we need locally.

I assure Members that we are constantly tracking and doing our best to support our local farms.

Ms Goh Hanyan : Sir, to the Member's question, before that, I should also highlight that apart from the alerts that happen through the myENV app, we have also expanded our reach through new collaborations to ensure flood information reaches Singaporeans through multiple touch points such as, currently, the Electronic Road Pricing On-Board Units to disseminate flood alerts. This brings the information directly to our citizens.

In terms of emergency evacuation drills, PUB has been partnering with different communities. For example, I attended a session together with one of the Residents' Networks and Community Emergency and Engagement, that they organised to bring together citizens or their residents to understand what kind of plans should they put in place for their unique locales' needs; and from there, to generate and to create their own way of supporting their own neighbours and friends during a flood incident.

We are hoping to go out there and partner with more communities to activate them and to get them thinking about what to do during an emergency.

Finally, I should also add that we have then enhanced our flood monitoring capabilities through water level sensors and closed-circuit televisions so that PUB ourselves can deploy quick response teams as fast as possible in times of flood.

The Chairman : Mr Pritam Singh, even though you filed a very short cut, you have been putting up your hand persistently. You can ask the last clarification.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied) : Much obliged, Chairman. It is a quick one. In my cut, I asked about the metrics NEA uses to determine whether appointed public waste collectors should increase the frequency of collection from the larger recycling bins. I do not believe I heard a reply from Senior Minister of State Janil on that.

In concert with that, there was a trial that was announced in Parliament which NEA was undertaking with a public waste collector to evaluate the setting up of a recycling bin sensor system that would trigger when there is bin overflow. I understand that was delayed arising from COVID-19. I would be obliged if the Senior Minister of State could share what has been the result of that pilot.

Dr Janil Puthucheary : Sir, NEA specifies a minimum collection frequency of three times a week for the smaller blue bins and once a week for the larger-capacity 2,200-litre side-loader recycling bins in HDB estates. We also require our public waste collectors to clear the recyclables from the blue bins on a regular schedule, specifically so that the bins do not overflow and to attend to feedback within 24 hours. So, those are the metrics that we track.

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We would also like to take this opportunity to ask all of us to play our part. If we use the blue bins correctly, do not discard rubbish there, then the likelihood of them overflowing and becoming an eyesore or a problem within our estates would reduce. The need for increased collections for what should be recyclables rather than waste would also reduce, and then the ability to recover the material for useable feedstock for recycling streams would also improve.

Mr Singh also asked a question about AI technology. The issue is to increase the specificity and sensitivity, so that we are not generating too many false positives or false negatives through this, and so that work is in progress.

The Chairman : Ms Poh Li San, could I invite you to withdraw your amendment?

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Ms Poh Li San : Mr Chairman, on behalf of all hon Members who have participated in the MSE Committee of Supply, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Minister Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State Zaqy, Senior Minister of State Janil, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh and all members of MSE, PUB, NEA, SFA.

Mr Chairman, I seek leave to withdraw my amendment.

[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $2,890,738,400 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $820,076,600 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]