News
Quantity isn't a problem, but food prices may still rise in S'pore due to Middle East crisis: Grace Fu
The Middle East is a major producer of fertiliser, and the disruption may lead to a trickle-down effect.
March 20, 2026, 04:13 PM
Prices of food in Singapore may still rise due to the Middle East crisis.
This is despite less than 1 per cent of Singapore's food supply coming from the Middle East, and less than 0.5 per cent coming from major ports in the Strait of Hormuz, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
Speaking at a Mar. 18 interview with The Straits Times (ST) and Lianhe Zaobao, Fu emphasised that "quantity is not a problem".
"But there is a feed-through mechanism through logistics," she added.
Singapore does import some food from the Middle East, such as Egyptian oranges, Turkish lemons, and dates from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
But the bigger problem is Iran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a major global shipping route.
The Middle East is a major producer of fertiliser. The blockage may lead to a trickle-down effect, that can cause higher costs for agriculture and farming of livestock.
These costs may then be passed on, eventually, to us, the consumers.
Other impacts
Another factor is higher oil and gas prices.
While this is unrelated to the price of food, it can affect hawkers who may have to pay more for cooking gas.
"So these all have potential impacts on food prices," Fu concluded.
She added that Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food, which is why Singapore needs to build resilience to global disruptions.
“We can never totally insulate ourselves because we are dependent on imports.”
To reduce its reliance on a single market, Singapore also diversifies its food supply and stockpiles as much as possible.
Singapore began stockpiling food in 1968.
While the size and location of the stockpiles are a national secret, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) previously revealed that Singapore has stockpiles for rice, canned foods, and pharmaceuticals.
There are also frozen food supplies, such as chicken.
Top photo from Grace Fu/Facebook and Mothership
