Speech By Mr Leong Der Yao, Deputy CEO of the Singapore Food Agency, at AquaTropics Forum

Distinguished Guests

Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.  Good morning and welcome to the second AquaTropics Forum. I am delighted to see so many dedicated individuals gathered here today, united by our shared commitment to advance the tropical aquaculture industry.

2.  I would like to thank our co-organisers – AquaPolis and the Urban Solutions & Sustainability Innovation & Enterprise Office (USS IEO) – for their continued partnership and support in building this platform where our academia and industry partners can collaborate, share knowledge, and co-develop practical, impactful and innovative solutions for our sector to thrive.

3.  This year’s theme, “How Science Meets Industry: Health & Nutrition”, perfectly embodies this collaborative spirit. It highlights how partnerships across various stakeholders can help translate research outcomes into practical innovations that improve farming practices and enhance the sustainability of our aquaculture sector.

Local Aquaculture in a Changing Global Landscape

4.  As a small country with limited space and resources, we continue to strengthen and diversify our import sources for seafood. However, it is also important to continue boosting our local farming industry which can buffer against overseas supply chain disruptions. In this connection, aquaculture is a vital part of Singapore’s food security.

5.  The past years have presented our farms with complex challenges, such as a volatile geo-political environment, evolving market dynamics and limited investments in aquaculture across the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Marco Fiorini, CEO of Bonafide, will share more insights on the investment landscape, drawing parallels with global success stories and emphasising solutions tailored to Singapore's unique context.

6.  I would like to assure you that despite these challenges, SFA remains committed to working closely with our local farms to support the agri-food industry and enhance our sector's production capabilities.

Research and Innovation in Local Aquaculture

7.  With less than one per cent of Singapore’s land set aside for farming given our many competing needs, technological innovation is crucial to overcome these constraints and uplift the local aquaculture sector. The Government has allocated over S$60 million to aquaculture research innovation under the Singapore Food Story, or SFS in short, R&D programme, building scientific capabilities in aquaculture and driving advancements in health, nutrition and beyond, to enhance the economic viability of our farms.

8.  I am pleased to share some progress that we have achieved from the first phase of our SFS R&D Programme.

a.  First, there is an exciting update on the epitope-based vaccine shared last year. Developed by A*STAR and UVAXX, the vaccine has a 75 per cent efficacy against Scale Drop Disease Virus (SDDV) in Asian seabass, which is endemic in the Southeast Asian region. It has now advanced to pilot trials under the SFS R&D Programme 2.0, validating both safety and efficacy under actual farm conditions. Successful deployment of the vaccine would significantly enhance the productivity of our local farms, while strengthening Singapore's aquaculture disease management capabilities.

b.  Second, researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) collaborated with Opal Resources, a Singapore-based hatchery, to develop aquaculture feeds incorporating encapsulated probiotics and nutrients. These functional feeds have achieved remarkable results, with up to 25 per cent improvement in Asian seabass fingerling growth rates, and enhanced resistance against bacterial infections. Now, the team has progressed to farm-environment validation under SFS R&D Programme 2.0, and are partnering with global feed additives manufacturers for commercial deployment.

c.  Beyond Asian seabass, we have also achieved significant progress in red snapper research. The genomic research led by Republic Polytechnic which established the first Malabar red snapper reference genome, and 70K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, continues to advance. This foundational data is now supporting selective breeding programmes to develop improved red snapper strains.

d.  Additionally, scientists at the James Cook University in Singapore have developed an optimised feed for red snapper. Farm trials at Metropolitan Fishery Group demonstrated promising findings where total feed intake decreased and feed conversion ratio improved, reducing overall feed costs by 27.5 per cent compared to commercial alternatives. An invention disclosure has been filed for this innovative feed technology, and the team is now exploring pathways for commercialisation.

9  Looking beyond individual projects, we are also building a vibrant ecosystem that drives knowledge exchange and co-development of solutions to tackle industry challenges. The AquaPolis Programme established under the SFS R&D Programme 2.0, harnesses the diverse expertise of local and international aquaculture researchers and industry players to achieve this vision. With support from USS IEO in facilitating technology matching and commercialisation pathways, our AquaPolis stakeholders have been actively identifying key problem statements and co-developing research proposals relevant to the Asian seabass and marine tilapia industry. This collaborative approach enables us to reap strategic synergies to fast-track the development of innovative solutions that will strengthen our aquaculture sector.

10.  I am pleased to announce that we have launched the Singapore Aquaculture Solution Centre (SAS-C), which brings together local and international researchers and institutes. SAS-C has been awarded about S$20 million research funding to improve health management, reproduction and hatchery practices for Asian seabass and red snapper. These efforts will help our farms raise productivity and enhance resilience, supporting Singapore’s long term food security goals.

Aquaculture Ecosystem Development

11.  As we continue to enhance our aquaculture capabilities, SFA has put in place several initiatives to build a vibrant ecosystem that facilitates the deployment of impactful solutions.

12.  To accelerate the translation of selective breeding research into practical benefits for the industry, such as faster growth and improved survival rates, the National Broodstock Centre and the Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme were launched last year. These complementary initiatives help to boost the supply of locally produced genetically superior Asian seabass, and marine tilapia eggs and fingerlings from our research programmes, while upgrading local hatchery capabilities to enhance the overall productivity and resilience of our aquaculture sector.

13.  The Aquaculture Technologies Industry Consortium (AquaTIC), launched by AquaPolis in October last year, has also quickly established itself as an effective platform for uniting farmers, researchers, and solution providers. With 19 members, including all major local IHLs, AquaTIC facilitates rapid test-bedding of research outputs, accelerates technology adoption across the industry, and strengthens community building among researchers and farmers.

14.  In July this year, AquaTIC launched its first consortium project with the Singapore Aquaculture Technologies (SAT), the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) to develop a microbiome-surveillance platform for fish health and disease management at local fish farms. This project is supported by SFA’s Agri-Cluster Transformation (ACT) fund and involves five local partner farms, ensuring strong farm-level relevance.

15.  With more projects on the horizon, AquaTIC will further strengthen researcher-industry connections, ensuring innovations are rapidly translated into practical solutions for farms.

Conclusion

16.  The continued evolution of AquaPolis marks an exciting new chapter in our journey towards strengthening Singapore's food security. We look forward to welcoming more researchers and industry partners to join us in building a vibrant and innovative local aquaculture sector where “science meets industry”, to strengthen Singapore’s food resilience.