2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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to officially begin on 1 April 2003 will develop a marine larval feed that can supplement expensive live food for larvae in the hatchery. Our partners in NUS will undertake the developmental work while AVA conducts the product verification under large-scale culture conditions. Another collaborative project was undertaken with NUS to study the efficacy of fertilisers on the post-harvest shelf life of leafy Brassica. The ultimate aim of the project was to improve farm produce quality. In the production of Xiaobaicai, the study found that the use of a new commercial product, doubled the shelf-life for Xiaobaicai under low temperature storage. Apart from educational institutions, AVA was also actively involved in R&D projects with commercial parties. Contract R&D services such as field evaluation of plants and agricultural products like fertilisers were provided to agriculture companies. Of all the major groups of commercial orchids, the germination and tissue culture of Paphiopedilum or slipper orchids has been considered to be the most difficult and challenging. Rising to the challenge, AVA, using seeds supplied by the orchid breeders, was able to develop a laboratory protocol to rapidly germinate slipper orchids to break the dormancy of the seeds. A modified medium developed by AVA managed to enhance germination rates as well as the production of callus of some species of this orchid. Protocols for sterilisation techniques of field grown plants during tissue culture stage has also been developed to overcome contamination and initiation problems often encountered by commercial laboratories. These developments open up opportunities for the production of artificially propagated slipper orchids for the orchid industry and trade. Technology Transfer To help bolster the competitive edge of our local farms, AVA offers technical assistance and imparts technological skills to local farmers. AVA has been introducing new vegetable varieties to farms in its on-going effort to promote crop diversification. Five selected commercial leafy vegetable varieties and one new type of leafy vegetable (Silverbeet which is a Swiss chard scientifically known as Beta vulgaris) with good yield and taste were introduced to 15 local vegetable farms. Two vegetable varieties — Naibai-4 and Pak Choy 32 — showed good harvestable yields on the farms. These vegetables were also able to fetch a higher price in the market. A concurrent consumer sensory evaluation and market survey also indicated that the two new vegetable varieties are well received. AVA conducts regular dialogues and seminars for farmers, investors and various industry associations to facilitate technology transfer. A dialogue meeting was held with orchid exporters at the Horticulture Services Centre in September 2002 with the aim of improving the orchid export industry. A survey was subsequently conducted to collate current post harvest practices of local orchid exporters with the aim of identifying areas for improvement. In October 2002, AVA and the Horticulture Working Group launched its first issue of “Plant Bulletin”, a quarterly publication which disseminates horticulture and plant health information to the horticulture industry including all growers in the Agrotechnology Parks of Singapore. Research at the Marine Aquaculture Centre covers among others, culture systems and operations for large-scale commercial production of fry at all the hatchery stages and live food micro-organisms. AVA actively encourages farms to adopt good agricultural practices to prevent disease outbreaks which could lead to crop failures. Guidelines to enhance Diamond Back Moth (DBM) control in soil farms and Cercospora disease management for hydroponic lettuce producing farms were drafted and disseminated in the form of technical bulletins and advisory service. Guidelines on the application and storage of poultry manure composts were also distributed to the farmers to promote environmentally friendly vegetable cultivation methods. Together with the Seafood Industries Association of Singapore, AVA held a demonstration of the processing of fish sausage at the Marine Fisheries Research Department on 11 September 2002. A seminar for local farmers and fish processors on the utilisation of milkfish for the processing of value-added products was also conducted on 20 September 2002. AVA appointed Rajah & Tann as legal consultant for the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Identification and Protection Programme on Marine Hatchery Technology at the Marine Aquaculture Centre (MAC) at St John’s Island. The IPR programme aims to protect MAC’s rich resource of intellectual property and covers IPR audit investigation, formulation of policies and drafting of employment related and commercial agreements. Agrifood Technologies Pte Ltd From December 2002, AVA’s subsidiary company — Agrifood Technologies Pte Ltd — commenced its consultancy services, beginning with a project done for a local company to assess the investment potential of several meat and fish processing companies in China. Another consultancy project comprised offering advisory services on freshwater fish tank system design and fish maintenance services for evaluation of water quality. This will be completed in April 2003. Meanwhile, the company is in the process of negotiating the provision of consultancy services for a technical survey to determine the suitability of land for agriculture purposes. This survey is to be done in the region. Our efforts in germination and tissue culture of orchids, have translated into opportunities for the production of artificially propagated orchids in the Agrotechnology Parks. Page 44 Page 45
Forging Global Ties and Facilitating Trade To AVA, the world is our oyster. Our efforts to diversify Singapore’s food sources and keep our food supply steady know no boundaries. Reaching to the far ends of the earth, we build ties with the global community by urging collaborations, learning what we need and sharing where we can. By making the world a smaller place, we can grow together in ensuring the quality and safety of our food everywhere. In our effort to protect endangered wild animal and plant species from exploitation by international trade, 5,291 CITES permits were issued in FY02/03. Page 47
Page 1 and 2: The Look of Life\ Agri-Food & Veter
Page 3 and 4: The contrast of textures
Page 5 and 6: Board of Directors Mr Koh Poh Tiong
Page 7 and 8: The spontaneity of expression
Page 9 and 10: AVA placed several advertorials in
Page 11 and 12: Enhancing the Safety of Our Food No
Page 13 and 14: A total of 177,427 import permits w
Page 15 and 16: These surveillance programmes enabl
Page 17 and 18: Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Ass
Page 19 and 20: To ensure that the introduction and
Page 21 and 22: Animal Control Measures Stray anima
Page 23: The inevitable result of urbanisati
Page 27 and 28: As the national authority for agric
Page 29 and 30: Synergising Staff and Resources An
Page 31 and 32: which was attended by 22 badminton
Page 33 and 34: AVA Service Centres AVA Service Cen
Page 35 and 36: Food Supply and Technology Agri-Tra
Page 37 and 38: Consumption, Import and Local Farm
Page 39 and 40: Three-Year Financial Summary FY 02/
Page 41 and 42: Financial Position As at 31 March 2
Page 43 and 44: Capital Expenditure Capital expendi
Page 45 and 46: Statement of Changes in Fund and Gr
Page 47 and 48: Notes to the Financial Statements F
Page 49 and 50: Notes to the Financial Statements F

2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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