A SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS WEBSITE
Singapore, September 3, 2010 YESTERDAY, NTUC FairPrice, the biggest supermarket chain in Singapore, launched Pasar Indonesia – its new range of vegetables sourced from Indonesia.
The launch, held at FairPrice Kang Kar Mall in conjunction with the opening of the Indonesia Istimewa Fair, was graced by the Indonesian ambassador, Mr Wardana.
In 1997, the Pasar brand of fresh produce from other countries was introduced, growing to encompass some 500 items, including fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat.
Under the Pasar Indonesia label, five popular vegetable varieties are offered: xiao bai cai, kai lan, bai cai, endive and cai sim.
All are supplied by contract farms owned by Mr Sunario Chan, president-director of Horti Jaya.
“Having worked with Horti Jaya since 2007, we are impressed by the quality of its produce, safety track record and reliability of supply,” said Mr Tan Kian Chew, group chief executive of NTUC FairPrice, at the launch.
Mr Chan said: “The vegetables grown on our farms are juicier because of the fertile volcanic soil and cool climate.”
According to Mr Winston Ng, a FairPrice assistant manager, there are many benefits in working directly with the farmers who grow the produce.
“Being retailers, we’re unable to negotiate prices set by overseas suppliers. But, for contract farms, we work directly with the farmers to forward-buy produce for
the year ahead at an agreed price,” he said. “This helps to support stable supply and ensures reasonable pricing for our consumers.”
FairPrice is looking to import another 10 more varieties of vegetables from Horti Jaya in the next few years.
Mr Tng Ah Yiam, managing director of NTUC FairPrice, said: “Over the past three years, we’ve managed to increase the overall standard of the vegetables by
working directly with the farmers to assess the safety standards and ensure the produce’s quality.”
Vegetables supplied by contract farms now make up 20 per cent of total vegetable sales at FairPrice, and the company is sourcing for more contract-farming opportunities.
According to AVA spokesman Goh Shih Yong, Singapore has to import about 90 per cent of its food supplies from countries all over the world, such as Brazil,
Australia and Malaysia.
“In 2009, our vegetable import from Indonesia was 6.6 per cent in terms of total (global) vegetables import, and targets have been set to increase supply from Indonesia to 10 per cent,” he said.
Mrs Teresa Tan, a 50-year- old administrator, said: “Even though the vegetables are packaged, they still look fresh.
“I will definitely buy them the next time I go to FairPrice.”
