Singapore seeks to boost food production with grants

The Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) is to invest SGD$ 5 million (US$3.6 mil) in aquaculture and agriculture to improve technology and research and improve food availability.

Over the next five years the AVA wants to raise fish production from 4-15 %. Singapore's largest commercial fish farm, the 18-month-old Barramundi Asia, is considering applying for the grants on offer to improve its aquaculture technology.

The company said that an upgrade in such technology could help it increase its annual production of barramundi - or Asian sea bass - to 3,000 tonnes by 2012, and 20,000 tonnes by 2020.

The 7.2ha farm produces 500 tonnes of barramundi per year - a significantly higher yield than the average of 30 tonnes produced by most coastal farms in Singapore's marine aquaculture industry.

Last year, the 106 coastal farms, including Barramundi Asia, produced some 3,235 tonnes of what is known as "food fish".