Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said new avenues were being created for Indian farmers and processed food manufacturers to expand their presence in Singapore and subsequently access markets across ASEAN and Australia through an APEDA-FairPrice roadshow-cum-in-store promotion.
Goyal, in a post on X, said he joined Singapore’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang and other dignitaries at the initiative, which seeks to expand exports of a diverse range of Indian agricultural and processed food products.
“Organic products, fresh fruits & vegetables, frozen fruits & vegetables, dairy products, cashew, rice, millet-based products, and products sourced from different regions of India are being promoted through this engagement,” Goyal said.
He added that the initiative would create new opportunities for Indian farmers and processed food manufacturers to strengthen their presence in the Singapore market and expand into the wider ASEAN region and Australia.
The initiative comes as an Indian ministerial delegation visited Singapore for the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) and the fourth India-Singapore Business Roundtable (ISBR), aimed at further strengthening bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation.
The delegation was led by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and included Goyal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada.
Around 70 senior Indian business leaders from sectors including technology, software and artificial intelligence, manufacturing and engineering, infrastructure and sustainability, financial services and fintech, healthcare and life sciences, food and agriculture, logistics, maritime and trade, and professional services accompanied the delegation.
The fourth ISMR, held on August 20, reviewed progress since the third roundtable held in New Delhi in August 2025 and explored new avenues to accelerate implementation of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Roadmap.
The ISMR is the apex ministerial mechanism for advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Jaishankar also met Singapore Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong along with Sitharaman, Goyal and Prasada.
“A real pleasure to call on PM @LawrenceWongST of Singapore, along with Ministers @nsitharaman, @PiyushGoyal, and @JitinPrasada,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
“Discussed the progress across various dimensions of India-Singapore relations. Value his thoughts on taking the partnership forward,” he added.
Wong also described the interaction as a “pleasure” ahead of the fourth ISMR.
“It was a pleasure to catch up with India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, & Minister of State Jitin Prasada, ahead of the 4th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in Singapore,” Wong said in a post on X.
The two sides discussed progress in implementing the roadmap for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and ways to strengthen cooperation in economic ties, digitalisation, connectivity, skills development and sustainability.
The business delegation’s programme included B2B, G2B and institutional engagements focused on strengthening partnerships, promoting investment and market access, enhancing technology collaboration and developing talent.
The ministers also engaged with Singaporean counterparts and senior leaders, besides interacting with Centres of Excellence and visiting skilling institutions.
During the visit, the ministers held government-to-business engagements with representatives of the Global Finance & Technology Network, YPO Global, Milken Institute, Keppel Infrastructure, Temasek Holdings and IHH Healthcare, among others, followed by a Family Office Roundtable.
The APEDA-FairPrice initiative at City Square Mall is aimed at promoting Indian agri-food exports and strengthening the presence of Indian products in Singapore’s retail market.
Singapore was India’s largest source of foreign direct investment in FY2025-26, with FDI inflows of USD 19.8 billion. Cumulative FDI from Singapore stood at USD 194.68 billion between April 2000 and March 2026, according to the Commerce Ministry.
Bilateral trade between India and Singapore has also grown significantly, rising from USD 6.7 billion in FY2004-05 to USD 36.1 billion in FY2025-26, the ministry said.
(ANI)
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