SINGAPORE - Four local vegetable farms are selling their produce at nine FairPrice supermarkets under a pilot programme that would allow these farms to gain the experience to tackle challenges when they enter the retail market.

The supermarket chain has joined the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) Retail Incubation Initiative, which provides selected local farms with the chance to sell their produce in supermarkets.

The six-month pilot scheme, which started in July, was announced at the launch of the 11th edition of FairPrice’s Made in Singapore fair on Friday.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who was guest of honour, attended the fair at the FairPrice branch at Our Tampines Hub.

“Food security is an existential issue many countries grapple with,” said Ms Fu.

“Challenges such as geopolitical tensions and climate change have caused significant disruptions to global food supplies.”

She added that Singapore is especially vulnerable to supply disruptions as it imports more than 90 per cent of its food. Diversifying the nation’s food sources, including the growth of local food sources, helps to mitigate the impact of supply disruption.

Under the pilot programme, FairPrice will support Next Farmers, LivFresh, GoFarm and GKE in gaining business knowledge by selling their produce – which includes Asian leafy greens, potted vegetables and herbs – at the nine FairPrice outlets.

The outlets are in Jem, VivoCity, Parkway Parade, Thomson Plaza, Bukit Timah Plaza, Causeway Point, Our Tampines Hub, Northpoint City and Hillion Mall.

The farms will also learn how to cater to consumers’ demand and needs. However, it is important that consumers support these farms too, said both Ms Fu and FairPrice Group deputy chairman Seah Kian Peng.

An SFA spokesman said the agency and FairPrice shortlisted several farms for this pilot and assessed them in areas such as company reputation, production readiness and suitability of produce they proposed to sell.

“FairPrice’s past experience in managing a similar programme for local food manufacturers made it a suitable partner for this pilot programme,” said the spokesman for SFA.

Since July, the farmers have been on the programme where they were mentored by FairPrice on how to fine-tune their product offerings, pricing and promotion mechanics, among other things.

For example, GKE’s farm manager Lee Yuan Hao said FairPrice has advised him on how to display his produce – lettuce and kale – at the outlets.

“This is helpful because we now know what consumers look out for when they shop at the supermarkets,” he added.

The products have been on sale at the supermarkets since Oct 1 and will be available till Nov 30.

A review will be held in December, after the pilot, for the farms to evaluate what they have learnt and see how this can be applied in their business.

Some farms also hope to continue to sell their produce after the pilot to increase awareness of their brands among consumers.

GoFarm’s managing director Shawn Ow said: “Through FairPrice, we hope that our produce will gain popularity and become go-to products among Singaporeans.”

Mr Seah said that as a local leading supermarket retailer, FairPrice remains committed to promoting local produce and locally made products.

“By boosting local production, we not only support home-grown businesses, but we also support and help build greater food security and resilience as a nation,” he added.

FairPrice has also extended its SME Suppliers Support and Development Programme for its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) partners for another year, by setting aside $2.1 million.

To date, FairPrice has invested more than $15 million to help its SME partners.

The programme was introduced in 2009 to help the cooperative’s SME partners overcome restructuring challenges and tide through the global financial crisis. In 2012, the programme was brought back after a two-year hiatus and has been extended annually to benefit more than 500 SMEs.

Assistance provided under the programme includes leveraging FairPrice’s Online Marketplace platform to promote or sell the companies’ products.

Ms Elaine Heng, chief executive of retail business at FairPrice Group, said SMEs continue to face challenges brought about by the current uncertain business climate, rising inflation and the evolving Covid-19 pandemic.

Thus, the programme helps SMEs cope with rising business costs and enhances their business capabilities, she added.

The Made in Singapore annual fair, which supports local food manufacturing firms, will feature more than 40 products. It will run until Nov 9 at all FairPrice stores and FairPrice Online, offering savings of up to 46 per cent off the usual prices.

Earlier in October, FairPrice launched its Greater Value Every Day initiative, where prices of 50 essential items, out of a pool of 500, would be frozen each month. The initiative aims to help consumers cope with the rising cost of living, with popular grocery items going on discount each week, among others.

Earlier this week, the group also announced a 15 per cent discount on three rice products till Nov 9, to help its customers with the rising cost of living.

Correction note: The article has been edited to reflect the correct name of Next Farmers.