Singapore has renewed a memorandum of understanding with China and signed another with South Korea, deepening bilateral cooperation in areas including agricultural research and development, food security and smart farming.
The 48th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Meeting was held in Singapore. During the meeting on Friday (30 October), Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu exchanged letters with China’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Zhang Zhili to formally renew the Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural and Food Security Cooperation. It provides a framework for cooperation between the two countries in areas including agricultural research and development, agricultural trade, food security and emergency preparedness.
On the same day, Fu also exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Smart Farming with South Korea’s Vice Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Jong-gu. It covers technological and industry cooperation, as well as exchanges aimed at improving productivity and resource efficiency.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said in a statement that Singapore and China first signed the memorandum in December 2023 at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting. It has been renewed for three years.
Under this framework, Singapore and China regularly exchange knowledge and expertise in agriculture and food security. They have also held two meetings of the Singapore-China Joint Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation, a platform for identifying areas of cooperation and advancing joint projects.
The second joint working group meeting was held on Thursday (29 October). During the meeting, the Singapore Food Agency and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation, providing a dedicated framework for closer agricultural research and development collaboration. The two sides had previously held technical exchanges on agri-food research into indoor speed breeding of leafy vegetables.
On Singapore-South Korea cooperation, the statement said the smart farming memorandum builds on longstanding cooperation between the two countries. It also marks another step forward after they celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in November last year.
Singapore and South Korea will next establish a Joint Committee on Smart Farming, co-chaired at the officials’ level, as a platform to exchange information, views and expertise on smart farming.
