China food production issues....

Discussion in 'Markets & Economies' started by Oddjob, Jun 28, 2019.

  1. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    ^
    I wonder how Singapore obtains the eggs - they have to be "fresh". Prolly they transport them quickly (24-48 h) from Malaysia or Indonesia. It must be quite an operation.
    If those supply lines get interrupted, it's very bad for Singapore.
     
  2. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Singapore has chicken farms producing eggs but they are more expensive, about double the price of eggs from Malaysia. The cheap eggs in Singapore are from Malaysia. Chickens eat chicken feed which is made of stuff that is not produced in Singapore or Malaysia.

    Recently, there's a supermarket that buys eggs from Ukraine and selling it for even cheaper than Malaysian eggs. Apparently, even after shipping cost all the way from Ukraine, it is cheaper.

    To most consumers, 10 cents or 20 cents an egg don't matter. The lower income may bother.

    The drive from Malaysia to Singapore is about 2-8 hours.

    Unknown to most foreigners, there's not much difference between a Malaysian or a Singaporean, the accent may differ slightly (not possible for a foreigner to differentiate), but they are of the same people and culture. There are also intermarriages, almost every other native Singaporean family (not new migrants) has a malaysian relative.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2019
  3. Ipv6Ready

    Ipv6Ready Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Kimchi made and exported from Africa is cheaper than kimchi made in China.

    ‘Don’t think anyone is really cares in Korea since the was for lower caste to make.

    No way kimchi could be made in Korea anymore, no one would do it, it would be like Australian cherry farmers advertising minimum wage to pick cherries
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2019
  4. SilverDJ

    SilverDJ Well-Known Member

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    I wondered that was I was in Singapore. Such fantastic food, but zero local production capability given its size & 6M people.

    upload_2019-11-3_19-11-7.png
     
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  5. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    There are vegetables, chicken and fish farms in Singapore.

    Singapore is very small, smaller than even HK in land mass but functionally it's similar to HK, to act as a regional financial and corporate headquarters, Hk being more than regional, as it is the financial capital of entire East Asia while Singapore is the financial capital of South East Asia. But for it to act as a financial capital, it has to have judiciary and financial independence. This is why the HK people are protesting. It has nothing to do with democracy.

     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2019
  6. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I felt similarly in the two countries. Once I wanted to take a road trip from Singapore through the causeway to Johor Bahru, but locals convinced me to go to other places instead.

    They buy eggs from the Ukraine??? Don't they rot away on the boats? It must take ages for them to get to Singapore.
    I'm not sure how much it takes to get there... but it must take a lot. Unless they fly them in :)
     
  7. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    Nice overlay, Silver DJ :D

    Singapore was one of my favourite destinations ever. It's a lovely riveting-flourishing place. All smiles :D
     
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  8. SilverDJ

    SilverDJ Well-Known Member

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    That could feed how many I wonder?

    Ah, found it:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Singapore

     
  9. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    "The agricultural production in Singapore is not enough to deliver to the needs of the country's people, and as such, about 90 percent of the country's food comes from overseas imports, making food security an important issue"

    So, was I right?
     
  10. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Johor baru is almost like a suburb of Singapore so there isn't much to see except to shop in hypermarkets (cheaper than Singapore) and eat. You're better off traveling another 2.5 hours up to Melaka which is a very old town and was a portuguese colony in the 16th century.

    They probably put them in climate controlled containers. Norwegian salmon is exported worldwide and everyone gets it fresh. I often buy fresh Salmon and they cost about $30 a fish.

    Besides Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore gets a lot of fresh produce from Australia, NZ, South Africa, USA and China.

    Fresh pork is air flown from Australia, and costs about USD13 per kilo.
    https://www.fairprice.com.sg/product/australia-pork---boneless-loin-13132891

    I did a search on 2 Australian supermarket websites, pork loin also costs USD13 a kilo. Since the prices in Singapore include GST (required by law), Australian pork is cheaper in Singapore than in Australia. Of course, pork is even cheaper in the EU and even cheaper in the US. Prices in China are roughly the same as in Singapore from what I've seen on jd.com and tmall.com.

    https://shop.coles.com.au/a/a-national/product/coles-pork-sirloin-steak-3589477p
    https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/829116/pork-loin-steaks
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2019
  11. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I see your point on Johor Bahru, I got a similar advice from local Singaporeans :) Although, I'm not very picky about travel destinations. I can't stand touristy places. And no, Singapore is not touristy.

    It's prolly easier to transport frozen salmon. They can't freeze eggs, because they just won't be the same afterwards. I suppose the can last a few days until they reach Singapore. Russia is closer, so prolly some eggs could come from there...
     
  12. alor

    alor Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    there is update here about water, it seems China always has the upper hand, they can channels rivers where ever they want to

     
  13. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    I had a hard time buying fresh green salad with lettuce in restaurants. Lettuce can't resist long distance transportation and high temperatures. It must be fresh.

    Ah well, it can be kept "fresh" in a cold fridge, but not more than a few days...
     
  14. OneDay

    OneDay Active Member Silver Stacker

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    Melaka is a cool place. Good food. Some nice people around too. I've always skipped Johar Baru after hearing the same advice from Singaporians. I think alot of people from Singapore used to head over to Johar Baru to fill up there fuel tanks and go shopping since Malaysia used to price subsidize fuel costs and the Ringit is alot weaker than the Sing Dollar.

    Singapore must have a massive food security issue. If Singapores economy tanks(which it will) how will it keep supplying food to the masses? Singapores come a long way since the mud flats and swamps of 50+ years ago.
     
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  15. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Food security is definitely an issue, but not as much as in the cost itself but availability. A lot of the local fare are cheap stuff. Mostly stir fry rice or wheat noodles with slivers of meat, bean sprouts and fried egg or just rice and bread with curry sauce. Might be a legacy of a poor immigrant past. I eat a lot of curry rice. It's amazingly healthy, cheap to make, the ingredients can be stored for a long time, and one doesn't get bored eating it often. I guess this is how India gets by with very little.

    Some of the millennials, though, might have a problem with such a diet.

    Curry is also antiviral, might explain India's extremely low mortality rate despite nearly reaching herd immunity in the cities.

    https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/i...-2021-says-tata-institute-report-5807911.html
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2020
  16. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    I was told that downtown Singapore used to look a lot like old town Melaka in the past, until they demolished a lot of the colonial era buildings to build skyscrapers. Another place to visit is the Indonesian Chinese fishing village of Tanjung Pinang, 2.5 hours by boat ride from Singapore. The place is undeveloped and hasn't changed much in 30 years. Great and cheap food if you don't mind the flies. The place is very safe. Even for families with small kids.

    https://www.timeout.com/singapore/travel/the-ultimate-guide-to-bintan

    [​IMG]
     
  17. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Last edited: Dec 4, 2020
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  18. alor

    alor Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    China is buying rice from India, BRICS
     
  19. Jason1

    Jason1 Well-Known Member

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    just seeing that picture is giving me the squirts. lol
     
  20. alor

    alor Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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