Singapore — Recent reports show that much like the rest of the world, higher food prices and supply chain disruptions have affected the number of people going hungry in the country.
However, the strong Singapore dollar, as well as an increased number of food supply sources, has softened the impact for many, leaving Singaporeans better off than many Indians, Malaysians, and Filipinos, according to a Nov 22 report in South China Morning Post.
SCMP reported that the price of vegetables from China has gone up by between 30 and 40 per cent recently. And while overall, food inflation only rose by 1.6 per cent in September as opposed to 1.5 per cent in August, the price of certain food items such as grapes and spinach have gone up considerably more.
And while larger food sellers such as grocery chains have the option of sourcing supplies from different places, smaller vendors do not have the same option.
Non-government organisations such as The Food Bank Singapore and Food from the Heart were quoted by SCMP and, earlier this month, by Al Jazeera, as having observed an increase in families needing food assistance during the pandemics.
The Food Bank Singapore told Al Jazeera that every time Covid restrictions are extended or new ones are announced, it gets many requests for food aid.
“This means we have a lot of people who are super vulnerable and who can’t feed themselves. To know they are literally a pay cheque away from not eating, it’s really scary and worrying,” the co-founder of the organization, Nichol Ng, is quoted as saying.
And while senior economist at DBS Bank Irvin Seah told SCMP that due to the high number of food imports Singapore has, the country could be especially susceptible to a global increase in prices, but the strength of the dollar and “a diversified network of food sources would help to buffer some of the impact.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at last week’s Bloomberg New Economy Forum that he is not too worried about inflation.
“The central bankers tell us not to worry, it is transient, that they are tapering off very gradually and then things will be all right again,” he said.
But Singapore’s food woes pale in comparison to other countries in Asia.
In India, which was particularly hard hit by the Delta variant this year, the number of people earning less than US$2 a day grew by 75 million, according to a Pew Research analysis.
At its highest, India’s food inflation rate was at 5 per cent and its fuel inflation at 13 per cent.
In Malaysia, last July, the hashtag #benderaputih, which means white flag, started trending, as part of a people’s campaign to bring attention to the fact that many Malaysians were going hungry and were in need of help, as many sink into deeper economic hardship due to the pandemic.
Supply issues have caused food prices in Malaysia to rise by 1.2 per cent, and in September, the consumer price index rose by 2.2 per cent.
As for the Philippines, multiple prolonged lockdowns and insufficient food aid have taken their toll, with a recent report saying the hunger rate reached a record high of 21.2 per cent.
Rising food prices plus unemployment rates have hit many families hard, with 46 million Filipinos already experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity even before the pandemic. /TISG
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