HIS EXCELLENCY THE HON WILL HODGMAN
Australian High Commissioner to Singapore
The Australian High Commission in Singapore is pleased to work with the Singapore Fruits & Vegetables Importers & Exporters Association (SFVIEA) to continue promoting high quality fresh Australian produce to Singaporean consumers.
Singapore is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in ASEAN and our fifth largest trading partner overall in 2021. This important trade relationship extends to agricultural products. In 2021, Australia exported $53 million worth of vegetables and $83 million worth of fruits to Singapore.
The closeness of our relationship was highlighted recently when our Prime Ministers met for the 7th Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting. The Prime Ministers welcomed the strength and depth of bilateral relations between the two countries, anchored in shared strategic and economic interests and acknowledged that resilient global supply chains reinforced our mutual prosperity, security, and wellbeing. To this end, they welcomed the establishment of the bilateral Supply Chains Working Group in September 2022 which will explore opportunities to strengthen trade between both markets, including in the areas of food, energy, and connectivity. The Prime Ministers agreed to begin work on a bilateral Food Pact to support enhanced supply chain resilience and greater flows in trade and investments of Australian and Singapore food supply.
We know Singaporeans value quality, clean and green produce and Australia is ready to meet these demands for healthy foods among Singaporean health conscious consumers.
I commend SFVIEA for its efforts to grow and develop the fruit and vegetables industry in Singapore despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and global supply chain disruptions. We are confident that SFVIEA’s 56th Members Directory will be a useful reference for members and buyers alike.
I look forward to continuing to our close relationship with SFVIEA in 2023 and beyond.