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DON'T worry, there are adequate food supplies in Singapore.
Senior Minister of State for National Development Ms Grace Fu gave this reassurance to Singaporeans on Wednesday, against a backdrop of rising prices of basic foods like rice, wheat and corn worldwide.
'I think there's really no need to worry about the produce that we get here. We have looked at the amount of food we import in the last few months and the quantity, and the supply is normal. We've not seen any trend of shortages,' Ms Fu told reporters on Wednesday.
'Although we expect some food prices to move because energy and commodity prices have gone up, there's no expectation of a sharp spike in prices.'
She said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is keeping a close watch on sources of supply.
'We do go out actively to seek sources. For example, for meat, we have 26 countries that are approved to supply meat to us, and we've just recently added Philippines and Chile,' she added.
She said the Government would continue to seek out a wide variety of food sources to ensure continuing supply.
Ms Fu also urged members of the public to consider buying alternatives such as frozen meat.
'We've been urging everyone to consider that because not only is it fresh and good quality, but it's also 20 to 30 per cent cheaper.'
Wheat prices have risen by 130 per cent since March of last year, and soy prices have risen 87 per cent, the United Nations said, with food now representing 60 per cent to 80 per cent of consumer spending in developing countries.
In general, the World Bank has said that food prices have climbed about 83 per cent worldwide over the past three years.
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