Speech by MOS Dr Koh Poh Koon at the Launch of The Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science
Jun 28, 2016
Good evening. It is a great pleasure to be at this momentous occasion as we launch the Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science, at Temasek Polytechnic. The opening of this Centre is a milestone, as it will have a positive impact on two sectors in Singapore; the aquaculture sector and the veterinary science sector.
These two sectors are important because of the role they play in Singapore’s food security.
Raising Aquaculture Productivity through Technology, Research and Training
Our aquaculture sector is important, because 10% of our fish consumption is produced locally. Our ornamental fish sector also contributes to Singapore’s branding. Some in the audience may know that we are the world’s number one exporter of ornamental fish around the world.
To strengthen our food security and retain the ornamental fish sector’s competitive edge, it is important that our farmers develop their capabilities in growing more with less, by harnessing technology and innovation. This is a sector which requires technology to feed the rest of the world.
This is especially important with regard to the case for food, as we cannot depend entirely on overseas imports because uncertainties can arise from time to time. We must have some level of local food production to ensure that we have some buffer against any shocks in the system, so that we can have some degree of security when a disruption occurs. This is not to be taken lightly; it is a matter of national security.
Today 90% of food we consume is imported from elsewhere. That means that we are vulnerable to disruptions from overseas sources.
But how can we do this and ensure food security, given our limited land, sea space and labour? We do not have the resources that other countries can put in. Today, even nations like Africa are facing problems, not because they lack land, but because the number of people who are interested to do agriculture is dwindling. Young people are captured by the desire to move to the city, to be doing a regular job in an air-conditioned space. The younger generation has seen how hard their parents have worked, and toiled for a small amount of money that they receive from selling raw products from the land.
The key to overcoming these limitations is creativity. We have seven billion people around the world. In 2050 it could go up to nine, or ten billion people. That is a huge amount of people to feed. Even today, by UNFAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) measurements, about 2 billion people do not have enough to eat. You can imagine that in the future, when the world’s population grows by another 30%-40%, food shortage will become a more acute problem.
Earlier this year in Parliament, I shared my vision for farms of the future to make use of vertical and indoor farming systems, through automation, through robotics and through more creative, innovative ideas and technology, to make our farming sector highly intensive and more productive. Aquaculture farms can adopt indoor intensive aquaculture farming techniques which can be stacked vertically. You now no longer have to farm fish in the sea as there are technology and techniques available to do so in an indoor setting.
By moving indoors and going high rise, farms not only make better use of our limited land and reduce reliance on low-skilled workers, plus the added advantage of being protected from the ever fluctuating environment. The global environment is becoming more unpredictable. There have been instances in the past, in which algae blooms threatened the survival of fish stock. Environmental certainty is an important aspect, and advantage for farming in an indoor environment.
With land and labour constraints, and imminent climate change, leveraging on technology and innovation is not just a good to have. It is a necessity, it is an absolute must. Our farmers must continue to challenge traditional ideas and approaches towards farming, and keep an open mind to explore possibilities and opportunities when they present themselves.
Farming today should be more like manufacturing. As you adopt more and more technology which will lead to automation and computerisation, we are actually transforming traditional farming into a form of manufacturing.
To achieve our high-tech vision for the aquaculture sector, we must also create R&D solutions that can be used in Singapore’s context and needs, and be applicable to our local industry. To do this, the industry must work closely with educational and research institutions. The Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science that Temasek Polytechnic is launching today will play this important role in undertaking such applied research. For example, the Centre will be doing research on quality fish frys and customised live feed production. You see how much of that commercial value that can bring, not only to the person endeavouring in this area, but also Singapore as a whole.
The Centre will also train tomorrow’s professionals for our aquaculture sector. Indeed, for this sector to become successful and for it to grow, human talent and capital is the power through which we can grow the sector. The Centre which we are opening today plays an important role in generating this pipeline of key talent.
All round the world – even the traditional farming countries such as India and China – the agriculture industry is facing difficulties attracting young blood. This will exacerbate the amount of food shortage we have in the future. Imagine, we are depending on these countries to develop the food to feed us, and yet, for these agriculture producing countries, the young people are not attracted to the agriculture sector. This is because there is a strong reliance on traditional farming methods in these countries. Methods which are not attractive to the young, as the return does not commensurate with the amount of work done.
We must understand that technologies such as robotics, sensor systems, closed-loop agriculture systems and the Internet-of-Things, is very important to the future and the developments of the farming industry. These factors are not just important in increasing production, but are also a way of making the sector interesting, attractive and exciting to the young. This is something well-educated young people can be incentivised to undertake.
As our sector evolves towards higher productivity and indoor farming, the Government is ready to support this sector with more skilled labour.
On that note, I am happy to know that Temasek Polytechnic is actively forming partnerships with progressive industry players. Temasek Polytechnic will be signing an MOU today with Apollo Aquaculture Group, not just to form a partnership in R&D efforts, but also to develop customised training programmes for aquaculture students. Such partnerships between industry and Institutes of Higher Learning will ensure the development of a workforce with skills that are directly applicable to the industry, and at the same time, it is a way for the industry to tap into available labour. High quality, well-educated labour which will enhance their operations. I encourage more of you here to form such partnerships going forward, such that a pipeline of talent is generated for the industry and Institutes of Higher Learning, for better synergies.
National Role of Veterinary Professionals
Like our agriculture professionals who have a nationally-important role in food security, our veterinary professionals also play a crucial role at the national strategic level.
Firstly, veterinary professionals are custodians of our food safety. As a country that imports 90% of food from many diverse sources, we need to make sure that the food we consume is safe. For example, to ensure that the fish produced by our aquaculture farms are safe to eat, veterinary expertise is needed to vaccinate and treat them for diseases. The Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science will help to train the skilled manpower we need to give us a peace of mind.
Besides treating fish, veterinary professionals are also carers of our pets. Many who enrolled in Temasek Polytechnic’s veterinary programmes would have joined because of their love for animals. Veterinary science, like doctoring, must start with passion. You care for animals because you love them, just like you care for patients because you have compassion for them. This love, together with their professional knowledge, makes them best placed to be champions of animal welfare.
An important role is also to be informed voices of reason when it comes to issues relating to animal welfare. Animal welfare matters are often emotive. The knowledge and credibility of veterinary science professionals are needed to provide an objective perspective on such issues. I hope that those who pass through Temasek Polytechnic’s veterinary course will speak up objectively and bravely, when there are animal issues that need to be debated, and to provide the correct perspective and information on these issues. If animal welfare issues are championed with misconceptions, it will not be to the benefit of the animals which are being championed for. Issues must be championed with the right information.
Thirdly, our veterinary professionals are gatekeepers in preventing the introduction of animal diseases, from two perspectives. Animal disease outbreaks can have devastating effects on our ecosystem, especially, in the animal farming sector.
In the other aspect, some animal diseases can also be transmitted to humans - this is called zoonoses. Most of you will be familiar with the disease called rabies. It is a serious disease which is transmitted from dogs to humans. Singapore has been rabies-free for many years, but Malaysia had an outbreak last year after being rabies-free for more than 15 years. We are just a doorstep away. We hope that the veterinary professionals trained by Temasek Polytechnic will carry out disease surveillance and safeguard us against any of these zoonoses which may come onto our shore.
Conclusion
The launch of the Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science today is a positive step towards our vision of a high-tech, innovative and sustainable agriculture sector, and a core of veterinary professionals with a crucial role in food safety and animal welfare. I hope students who pass through the doors of this centre, will play an important role and make important contributions to issues of national security – in terms of food safety, and also animal zoonoses.
But more importantly, I hope our students will keep an open mind, and look for innovative solutions. Hopefully, they could turn our limitations of land and labour, into opportunities that they can capitalise on, and fly our flag high for the world.
Many years ago, we would not have imagined that we would ever be water-sufficient. Today, it is probably hard to imagine how we can ever be food sufficient. But we are only limited by our own imagination. My challenge to our students today, and to members of the industry, is to keep an open mind, use innovative solutions, and hopefully one day, we will be able to tell the world, how we solved our food shortage problems and become even more self-reliant on our food supply.
Thank you.