Building relationships in the Asian food and drink markets

A delegation of Welsh food centres, led by the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Division, has visited Singapore to attend the Growth Asia Summit 2022 and meet with Singaporean and international food and drink businesses with the aim of promoting Wales as a destination for their investment.

Developing opportunities for collaborative innovation and raising the profile of TasteWales/BlasCymru, Wales’s flagship food and drink event, was crucial for the team.

Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths said:

“Showcasing our food and drink capabilities on a worldwide stage is integral to attracting inward investment. Establishing links and developing relationships in the Asia market is crucial for the growth of the food and drink industry for Wales.

“From 2014 to 2020 we set ourselves the ambitious target of growing the industry’s value to over £7bn. Together we achieved and exceeded that goal and we are now looking to build on that success. Our aim is to see the turnover value of Wales’ food and drink manufacturing sector proportionately grow more every year than the rest of the UK, to at least £8.5bn by 2025.

“The Growth Asia Summit was a great platform to outline our ambition to develop one of the most sustainable supply chains in the world while also being able to engage with multi-international food businesses. We want to create a strong and vibrant Welsh food and drink sector with a global reputation for excellence and one of the most environmental and social responsible supply chains in the world.”

During the Growth Asia Summit 2022 delegates presented Wales’s Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, Healthy Weight Healthy Wales campaign and the Welsh Government’s support for collaborations between universities, businesses and government to shape the future food industry, effectively raising Wales’s visibility.

Visiting some of Singapore’s national economic and food organisations, the group was able to develop and strengthen relationships and at the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, delegates explored the opportunities to establish links with the Singaporean National Laboratory and IBERS in Aberystwyth, Swansea University, and Food Innovation Centres in Wales.

Throughout the visit delegates also promoted TasteWales/BlasCymru 2023, aiming to attract Singaporean businesses and organisations to attend the event in Wales.