Singaporean-India food safety agencies have signed Food Safety Cooperation MoU
Indian companies were encouraged to use Singapore as a base to connect with Southeast Asia and international markets, Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Energy, Trade and Industry, said at a business forum.
“At the fourth India-Singapore Business Roundtable, business leaders from the two countries discussed how they could work together to access new markets. I encourage Indian companies to use Singapore as a base to connect with Southeast Asia and international markets,” Gan told some 300 business community leaders at the forum held on 5 Oct by the Singapore Business Federation https://www.sbf.org.sg/ .
The business roundtable and the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable was held in Singapore 20 Aug.
Singapore agencies are working to facilitate the exploration of business opportunities, said the Minister at the Singapore-India Network for Growth Forum 2026, organized as part of a programme during the visits of Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Haryana, Vishnu Deo Sai and Nayab Singh Saini.
“For example, our food safety agencies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Food Safety Cooperation to make trade in food safer and smoother,” said Gan, also Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“By connecting our companies, we can open new markets and create more opportunities for both sides,” she said.
The Minister underlined the strong foundation of Singapore-India partnership and called on companies from both countries to build on that foundation.
“Entering the Indian market is only the first step,” she said, pointing out that each state has distinct priorities and strengths. “Companies should understand these differences and engage India’s state direct,” the Minister underlined.
SBF chairman Mark Lee elaborated, “The Federation is putting its weight behind India. India is one of the few options on the table that is large enough to matter. I continue to believe in India because of its scale, its entrepreneurial energy and the breadth of opportunity across its states and industries. That does not mean every opportunity is easy or right for every company. It means that businesses willing to listen, choose their partners carefully and build patiently can find room to grow in a market of this depth.”
He noted that India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world, with 1.4 billion people, and highlighted that Singapore capital is already present in size. In the last Indian financial year, Singapore was the single largest source of foreign direct investment into India, at USD 19.8 billion.
Four companies operating at scale in India shared their procurement needs and what they look for in partners in India. These were Nestlé India, Transworld, Indian Hotels (better known as Taj), and Brakes India.
In recent years SBF has engaged more than 220 Singapore companies in India through seminars, roundtables and missions, and facilitated more than 120 business connections with Indian counterparts. In 202t, India was one of Singapore’s major trading partners, with total bilateral trade in goods of SGD 35 billion. Fiinews.com
