Singapore - the world’s no. 1 exporter of ornamental fish

[jwhtan]

Despite having very little agricultural land, Singapore happens to be the world’s top exporter of decorative and ornamental fish.
It may sound strange, given our immense focus on high-tech industries, but Singapore has held on to this record for close to 10 years.
In 2007, our exports of fish like koi, guppies and goldfish were valued at $69million, almost 20 per cent of the global market.
However, this number has been dropping over the years. In 2016, our exports of ornamental fish totalled S$43 million, which represented 14.1 per cent of the global market.
Still, that was enough to put us ahead of our neighbours, as pointed out recently by Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti.
As reported by the Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Dec. 6,she said :

“How come a country 100 times larger than Singapore depends on the smaller country for marketing [decorative fish]?
We, in the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, are ready to help other institutions [to boost decorative fish exports].”

Why ornamental fish?

Being an island, Singapore has been home to fishing communities and coastal fish farms for decades.
In the 1960s, kelongs and traps were common, which then progressed to cage-nets.
By the 21st century, the traditional fish farm had given away to a high tech affair, with greater focus on automated processes to reduce manpower needs.
For example, farms use automatic feeders instead of feeding the fish by hand.
Despite our small size, Singapore happens to be ideal for rearing tropical fish due to our climate, temperature and rainfall.
According to a 2005 report “The Status of the Ornamental Fish Industry in Singapore”:

“Over time, well-developed distribution systems for ornamental fish, comprising farmers, wholesalers and exporters, have been established in Singapore.
Farmers specialise in breeding popular species. New varieties of fish within a species are continually developed, and reared to market size at their farms.
The fish are either sold directly to exporters or to wholesalers.”

The fish are sold all over the world. Some make their way to hobby shops where collectors and enthusiasts buy them,
especially in Asian countries where fish like koi are seen as good luck charms.
And others are bought by corporations like hotel chains, who display the fish in prominent aquariums for decorative purposes.
The five most popular species of fish that Singapore exports are:

Guppies
They are popular with collectors because of their small size, ease of maintenance, and brightly coloured bodies.

Mollies
Mollies are easy to breed, making them a popular fish for beginner collectors. They are also very colourful.

Platys
Platys are another popular fish with beginners, as they are colourful and not aggressive.

Goldfish
They are traditionally associated with prosperity in Asian cultures because of their gold colouring.

And of course, the one many of us know brings in the moolah:

Koi
Koi are very hardy fish, able to resist most common fish illnesses, and can live quite long lives of about 50 years or more.

There are currently 125 fish farms in Singapore, and an increasing number are making use of technological advancements to automate their processes
and make things more efficient too.

Government support
Our government is also taking steps to support the sector and maintain our prominence in it.
In 2016, Temasek Polytechnic opened a Centre for Aquaculture and Veterinary Science to prepare young Singaporeans for a career in aquaculture —
defined as the cultivation of fish and other marine life for commercial purposes, instead of catching them in the wild.
And in March 2017, the government unveiled an industry transformation map for the farm sector to help vegetable,
egg and fish farmers make use of new technological developments.
That will help us to hang on to something that we can proudly boast we are best in the world at doing.

[jwhtan]

I read this report, I blur ...... really ar ??

How come all I see is the industry going downhill. Interest cooling off.
Farm lands being taken back by government for other usage

[loveikan]

Yes very surprised. Noticed that the market had slow down tremendously these few years.

A few years ago, read that Singapore was still the top exporter on https://www.bassleer.com/ornamentalf...ENTAL-FISH.pdf

Extract:
By country in 2014 (Figure 3), Singapore, with exports valued
at US$69.32 million, was the ornamental fish capital of the
world, contributing close to 20% of the total supply. Till today
it remains the main trading hub in Asia, with more than 30% of
the fish exported having been sourced from other countries.
Japan (US$41.34 million) was in second place, holding a stable
share in the market due to its niche on Koi carp. The third
position was occupied by the Czech Republic with supplies
worth US$32.0 million, followed by Thailand (US$23.31
million), Malaysia (US$22.62 million), Indonesia (US$21.54
million), Israel (US$19.04 million), Brazil (US$18.52 million),
Sri Lanka (US$13.1 million), and Colombia (US$12.3 million).

[Ong88]

#FakeNews

Dunno simiii support

[denser]

singapore wants everything in no.1 mah..

[CrazyFish]

I think is not direct export , but re-export . Singapore has always been a trading hub , and I have seen many trading firms in Singapore doing transshipments for various products to various parts of the world .

[millenium]

B

Originally Posted by CrazyFish

I think is not direct export , but re-export . Singapore has always been a trading hub , and I have seen many trading firms in Singapore doing transshipments for various products to various parts of the world .

They should try "re export" kamfa from thailand, and do maybe the same for malaysia durian.

Now it is known, buy cheap from tao bao and alibaba. Use internet and go direct to producer.

The financial report from a local listed company is another clue.

[Guppies Onli]

Ownself export ownself import again?

[EH]

A lot of fake reports nowadays... Even the employment rate is fake..

[AroHong]

Originally Posted by CrazyFish

I think is not direct export , but re-export . Singapore has always been a trading hub , and I have seen many trading firms in Singapore doing transshipments for various products to various parts of the world .

You maybe right.
Was told many years ago that the farms around Nanyang area will not likely be acquired.
The bosses of some of the farms used to ferry their old workers to work in their luxury cars in the mornings. Containers would come and they would unpack and repack fish the whole day for export.
Weekends their children and grand children would gather at the farm for BBQ etc.
When farms in the area were told they would be offered land to relocate, many of the old timers feedback that they would close the business and retire if forced to move as they were unwilling to spend the 1 or 2M to built.