Insights

Amid the bustling megacities like Jakarta and Mumbai, where innovation drives economic growth and technology advances rapidly, a significant challenge persists. It is not a digital disruption or financial downturn. It is access to reliable food supplies. 

Asia, home to nearly 5 billion people in 2025 and a key driver of global progress, confronts a difficult question. How can a region leading in dynamism continue to view food systems as secondary and rely on traditional farming practices? 

By 2030, Asia’s urban population is projected to reach approximately 55%, a structural shift that will place sustained pressure on food supply chains and urban distribution systems¹. This could influence broader dynamics of stability, economic development, and regional harmony. Yet here is an intriguing possibility. What if the inefficiencies in Asia's food system represent not just issues to resolve, but avenues for substantial advancement? What if addressing food challenges goes beyond obligation or aid, and instead taps into major opportunities for value generation? 

Think about the irony. Asia's leading companies have mastered expanding into global markets and excelled in execution of business operations. Yet its farmers and smallholders producing the bulk of staples grapple with outdated inefficiencies that waste nearly half of post-harvest produce in certain sectors². Why? Not for lack of ambition, but because we have confined innovation to certain sectors, overlooking the foundational elements of agriculture. 

Globally, one-third of food vanishes before it nourishes anyone³. In Asia, absent cold storage turning mangoes to mush, fractured logistics is stranding rice in rural silos, and volatile markets leaving growers penniless at times. Recent 2025 data from Southeast Asia paints a stark picture, with about 13% of food lost in supply chains from post-harvest to retail, and up to 19% wasted at the consumer level⁴. In South Asia, over 30% of all food is lost or wasted annually, enough to feed nearly 300 million people⁵! The price tag to mend this? Estimated to be a staggering 800 billion US dollars by 2030, though updated estimates highlight the need for trillions more in broader infrastructure and climate-resilient investments, with Asia requiring 1.7 to 1.8 trillion US dollars annually through the decade for sustainable transformation⁶. Governments have to sketch the blueprint, but the private sector needs to inject not just funds but the operational alchemy. The Asian Development Bank, for instance, has pledged 40 billion US dollars in support for food security by 2030, including 26 billion US dollars in fresh commitments announced in 2025. 

Now, let’s challenge our assumptions. Let’s look at the Netherlands, broadly considered one of the leaders in food-tech and ag-tech. What if the Netherlands is not the model we think it is? Sure, this pint-sized nation punches above its weight as the world's second-largest ag exporter, blending public R&D with private muscle in greenhouses and robotics. But dig deeper. It is not just efficiency; it is reinvention. The Dutch did not fix farming; they transformed it, treating land as a precious resource and yields like returns on investment. 

Israel offers another compelling example. Despite its arid deserts and limited water resources, Israel has become a global leader in agriculture by pioneering drip irrigation and precision farming techniques. This innovation has not only secured food self-sufficiency but also turned the country into a major exporter of fresh produce and agricultural technologies, demonstrating how resource constraints can fuel creative breakthroughs. 

Asia could do the same, but bolder. Why mimic when you can adapt and expand? All we need is for governments and private capital to work together. 

Malaysia and Indonesia illustrate both the challenges and the potential. Malaysia still imports large amounts of rice and vegetables even though it has fertile land. In 2025, rice imports are forecasted at about 1.6 million tons and vegetable imports at around 683 million US dollars⁷. Yet hunger levels are low, with a Global Hunger Index score of 13.6 and undernourishment below 2.5%. The Global Hunger Index is a composite measure assessing hunger using undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality, where lower scores indicate better food security outcomes. The government also plans to cut rice imports by 2027 through steady growth in domestic production. 

Indonesia faces a different challenge. Up to 60% of its fruits and vegetables are lost after harvest because of weak logistics and storage. This drives up prices and can trigger public frustration. Its 2025 GHI score of 14.6 and undernourishment rate of 6.3% show moderate progress, but the country risks missing its food loss reduction targets unless action accelerates⁸. Taken together, these cases show that Asia’s food challenge is not scarcity, but design. 

The usual recommendation is to improve policies and infrastructure. We would argue for something more ambitious. Private investors could help build new systems that complement or even replace outdated ones. Examples include digital platforms that connect farmers directly with consumers, models that convert food waste into biofuels, or cooperatives that use climate forecasting to manage risk more proactively. Done well, these approaches can improve resilience while delivering attractive commercial returns. 

If these ideas scale, food security becomes a source of strength rather than vulnerability. Asia could move toward greater self-sufficiency and emerge as a more stable contributor to global food supply. FAO data shows that undernourishment in Asia has declined in recent years, reflecting gains in income, productivity, and food system performance. Where supply chains, infrastructure, and governance improve, hunger recedes and resilience builds. In a world shaped by trade tensions and climate driven migration, control over food supply increasingly underpins economic and political stability. 

Neglect it, and societies do not just go hungry. They fracture, with inequality breeding populism and borders buckling under refugee waves. Yet invest wisely, and food becomes Asia's soft power weapon: resilient systems that export surplus, stabilise neighbours, and attract talent. For private equity, this is not altruism. It is alpha. It is an opportunity for durable value creation. Food systems touch every life every day, and the returns from modernisation can rival those of technology enabled sectors. The question, then, is not whether private investors will engage, but whether we will be content as observers or step forward as shapers of this transformation. Asia’s food paradox demands more than capital. It demands conviction. What role will you play? 

Authors: Tai Lin, Managing Partner & Cohen Tan, Investor Relations and Sustainability Associate 

1 Pace of urbanization quickens in Asia Pacific, so too does threat of urban food insecurity. UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, January 24, 2023. 

2 Assessment of Post-Harvest Losses and Post-Harvest Loss Reduction Technologies and Practices for a Seasonal Fruit with High Export Value and/or Export Potential in CLMV Countries. ASEAN Secretariat, 2018. 

3 Food and Agriculture Organization 

4 Stockholm Environment Institute. Transforming food systems in Southeast Asia: The challenge of food loss and waste. 2025. 

5 World Bank. A turning point for food loss and waste in South Asia. June 19, 2025. 

6 The Asia Food Challenge: Harvesting the Future. PwC / Rabobank / Temasek. 2019. 

7 TradeInt. Malaysia Vegetable Import (HS Code 0709) Trade Statistics 2025. 

8 Global Hunger Index. 2025 Global Hunger Index – Country Profile: Indonesia. 

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