（Singapore, 21.10.2026）The greatest risk to global food security is shifting from a shortage of food to rising prices. Maximo Torero, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recently noted that food prices now include a “risk premium” as markets price in concerns about future supply, even when food remains available today.
According to the FAO’s monthly report released in October, its Food Price Index rose to 136.0 points in September, up 1.5 per cent month on month and 5.8 per cent year on year. Three overlapping pressures are adding to global agricultural production and distribution costs: disruptions to fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, restrictions on grain shipments from the Black Sea, and a 90 per cent probability of a strong El Niño event.
Against this joint backdrop of volatile costs and supply risks, agricultural businesses face a new challenge: whether they could translate the strength and depth of their upstream supply chains into downstream brand recognition and acceptance.
The FAO has pointed out that branding and digitalization play a key role across the agricultural value chain, from production to consumption. Brand building can help agricultural products more effectively meet consumers’ evolving dietary needs and expectations.
Carlos Aldeco, an FAO representative, said agricultural branding goes far beyond labels and trademarks; it must encompass the entire value chain from production and processing to marketing and distribution. By strengthening quality assurance, enhancing transparency, and communicating stories about a product’s origin and culture, branding can help unlock value, build consumer trust, and increase returns for producers.
Yet establishing an agricultural brand is no easy task. One common pitfall is expanding into too many product categories. Being freed from this trap marks the first breakthrough in building a brand.
Marketing scholars Al Ries and Jack Trout published their classic positioning theory in a series of articles in Advertising Age in 1972, proposing that consumers have limited mental capacity for brands and easily lose focus. If a brand tries to cover too many categories, it risks becoming blurred in consumers’ minds. An overly broad product line, therefore, may weaken rather than strengthen a brand’s positioning by diluting attention.
Singapore-listed agricultural company Zixin Group Holdings launched its consumer brand NutriRootz in April. In practice, the brand has chosen not to launch products across a broad range of categories. Instead, it has focused initially on three product lines: chips and fries, ready-to-eat steamed sweet potatoes, and traceable fresh sweet potatoes. Each serves a distinct consumer setting: snacks, convenient staple foods or fresh ingredients.
Wesley Han, general manager of Zixin Group, said that in the early stages of brand development, it is crucial to build a portfolio of core products that leave a lasting impression on consumers and inspire repeat purchases.
Once a brand has established its focus, the next step is to create consumer experiences. Brand awareness does not emerge on its own; it requires consumers to complete the journey from discovery and trial to repurchase in real-life settings.
Wesley Han sees building consumer awareness as the main challenge in moving from a B2B supply chain to a consumer-facing brand. Consumers first need to understand why they should choose the brand and what value it offers to them.
Therefore, product sampling, retail displays, online content and local partnerships should all ultimately lead to the same process: helping consumers discover the product, encouraging them to try it and making repeat purchases convenient. At the same time, the company needs to communicate clearly about its sweet-potato varieties, origins and processing characteristics. This allows consumers to understand the brand and trust it on the strength of the capabilities the company has built across its supply chain.
Expanding overseas also means navigating more complex market environments. Wesley Han said Zixin’s path is to move from China to Singapore and then extend into other Asean markets, using Singapore as the starting point to test its products and brand messaging. When entering other Asean markets, Zixin will maintain a consistent core brand identity while adapting its product varieties, packaging format and distribution channels to local tastes, purchasing power and shopping habits. This approach allows the company to maintain a recognizable brand across markets while possessing the flexibility to adapt to local consumer scenarios.
The clearest sign that a brand has made an impression may not be its sales figures, but whether consumers remember its name and actively look for it the next time they shop.
