Continued Vibrancy and Sustainability of Singapore’s Hawker Culture

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the long-term plans to ensure the continued vibrancy and sustainability of Singapore’s hawker culture; and (b) what are the infrastructure plans for current and future hawkers to have affordable space and options to conduct their businesses whilst achieving environment sustainability and a high standard of hygiene, food and waste management.

The continued vibrancy and sustainability of our hawker culture have been longstanding priorities for my Ministry. The recent inscription of Singapore’s Hawker Culture onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has given this an additional boost.

Manpower constraints are a key challenge faced by the hawker trade. To address this, the National Environment Agency (NEA) works closely with hawkers to enhance the productivity of their operations. For example, at the centre-level, we introduced centralised dishwashing services under the Productive Hawker Centres programme. The Hawkers’ Productivity Grant also subsidises automation equipment and technological solutions for individual hawkers.

To attract new talent and nurture the next generation of hawkers, we have kept barriers to entry low through measures to keep rents reasonable, by not requiring minimum bids during monthly stall tender exercises. In our Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres (SEHCs), NEA also gives more weightage to tender bids from operators that offer lower stall rentals, which cannot be increased during the tenancy period. We also provide support to aspiring hawkers through the Incubation Stall Programme which offers subsidised rentals to new entrants. SEHC operators have similarly introduced incubation programmes in new hawker centres.

To provide aspiring hawkers with business and culinary skills, the Hawkers’ Development Programme complements classroom training with an apprenticeship stint with a veteran hawker. We have also recently announced the Hawkers Succession Scheme to facilitate the transfer of hawker stalls and recipes from retiring veterans to aspiring hawkers.

To maintain a conducive environment in our hawker centres, NEA regularly refreshes hawker centre design and infrastructure. New hawker centres built since 2011 feature bigger stall sizes, wider aisles and High Volume Low Speed fans to improve ventilation and keep the centres cool. Family-friendly amenities like seating and diaper-changing facilities are also provided. Provision has also been made for the adoption of automated equipment, such as centralised dishwashing, automated tray return and food waste digester systems.

These features will be incorporated in new and redeveloped hawker centres. We welcome suggestions from all Singaporeans on how hawker centres can better serve their needs. For example, during the recent SG Hawker Fest, we gathered ideas from different stakeholders on what they would like to see in our future hawker centres.

Singapore’s hawker culture belongs to all of us. Many members of the public have also shared that keeping our hawker centres clean is important, and should be part of our mainstream hawker culture. I urge all of us to play our part to sustain our hawker culture by supporting our hawkers, and cleaning up after ourselves to keep our hawker centres safe and clean community dining spaces for all.