Cooking classes among plans to stir interest in hawker trade
A series of classes will be organised for anyone interested in learning to cook hawker fare from experienced trainers, including veteran hawkers. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Those who have always wanted to whip up mee goreng or chicken rice will be able to learn from the masters from May.
That is when the National Environment Agency (NEA) will team up with the People’s Association to introduce classes for interested members of the public to learn to cook hawker fare from veteran hawkers.
This will help generate interest in hawker food and culture, helping to sustain the trade in the long run, said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor on Wedneday (March 8).
Her ministry has accepted all recommendations of the Hawker Centre 3.0 Committee submitted last month. Dr Khor had chaired the committee, which included representatives from institutions of higher learning and the private sector. Proposals included having incubation stalls and centralising dishwashing services, offering cashless payments and making bulk purchases of common ingredients.
The NEA is working with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to develop a short course on hawker business management for those interested in the hawker trade. Details will be announced later.
In the second half of the year, the NEA will have more than 10 incubation stalls set aside in various hawker centres that are pre-fitted with basic equipment.
They are for aspiring hawkers to learn the ropes for a period of perhaps six months, to decide if they are suited for the trade.
The aspirants will have to first complete the ITE hawker business management course or equivalent courses, submit a simple business plan to the NEA and undergo a food tasting evaluation by a panel.
Also in the second half of the year, the NEA will set up a one-stop information centre that will provide information on the hawker trade, such as how to bid for a stall and where to go for food hygiene courses.
To boost productivity, the NEA will be setting aside S$90 million, said Dr Khor.
The agency will reconfigure the infrastructure of up to 25 hawker centres over the next few years to enable centralised dishwashing integrated with tray returns, and cashless
payments.
It will co-fund up to 70 per cent of the operating costs of the centre-level initiatives for a limited period, to help lower the cost for hawkers to take part in these initiatives that will reap manpower and cost savings in the longer term.
A Hawkers’ Productivity Grant will be launched to encourage individual hawkers to use kitchen automation equipment.
The grant will co-fund the purchase of suitable equipment by cooked-food stallholders, who can claim 80 per cent of the qualifying cost of the equipment or up to S$5,000 within three years.
Hawkers may apply for the grant in the third quarter of the year.
On the committee’s recommendation to increase the vibrancy of hawker centres, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources will launch a three-year hawker centre adoption programme in the second half of the year.
Organisations such as grassroots groups and schools may adopt a hawker centre and apply for a grant of up to S$2,000 per event organised at the hawker centre. The cap is up to S$10,000 a year.
