The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), formalised in 2024, has been widely heralded as a catalyst for cross-border economic integration. Beyond its commercial promise, the zone presents a critical opportunity to strengthen food security – a foundational component of social and political stability for Singapore and Malaysia.
While food security is one of the 11 focal sectors for the zone, it risks being eclipsed by higher-value sectors such as advanced manufacturing, finance, and digital services. To maximise the potential for food security, the JS-SEZ comprehensive blueprint must contain provisions to promote the agrifood sector.
Despite relatively high rankings in the Global Food Security Index (2022), with Singapore at 28th and Malaysia at 41st, both countries remain vulnerable to external shocks, particularly climate change. Singapore's over-dependence on food imports and Malaysia's declining production underscore the fragile equilibrium they navigate.
Singapore imports over 90 per cent of its food from 170 countries, but still faces supply concentration risks. For instance, Malaysia's 2022 chicken export ban underscored the city-state's dependence on regional supply chains; Singapore then looked to Indonesia and others as a partial solution. Furthermore, Singapore's "30by30" policy to increase domestic food production is struggling to become a reality.
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