15,200 hawkers, market stallholders to receive up to $1,200 in rent support from September

AI generated

SINGAPORE - About 15,200 hawkers and market stallholders will receive rent support from the Government amid higher operating costs and inflation driven by the Middle East conflict.

Some 6,900 cooked food stalls will each receive $1,200 and about 8,300 market stalls will each receive $600, spread out over six months starting from September, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling on July 29.

The payouts will be given to stallholders in markets and hawker centres managed by the Government and Government-appointed operators.

The cash is meant to offset the rising costs of raw materials, packaging and utilities, said Low. She added that stallholders had raised these particular cost concerns over the last few months.

The higher payout for cooked food stallholders reflects the broader range of cost pressures which they face, including repair fees and raw material costs, said Low.

Asked why these stallholders had been specifically included in this second tranche of support measures, Low said the support has two objectives – to sustain Singapore’s hawker trade and food culture, and to also demonstrate that the Government is a “responsible manager of these premises – the hawker centres and the markets”.

The move comes as inflation is expected to remain elevated into 2027, noted Low, who is also Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, in her opening remarks.

She said: “Against this backdrop, we are boosting our support for our businesses, especially small and medium enterprises.”

The Government will help stallholders better manage their costs and give them the support needed to make business adjustments in the long term, she added.

It will keep a close watch on how businesses fare and also provide more targeted support when needed, said Low.

Low and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow unveiled the second tranche of assistance measures for households and businesses in response to the situation in the Middle East at a press conference at the Treasury on July 29.

She also announced support for SMEs to meet their cashflow needs.

When asked about making rental support for stallholders a permanent scheme, Low said the authorities will continue engaging stallholders to help them grow and cushion the pressure they experienced in the last few months.

On hawkers potentially still passing cost increases on to consumers, Low said the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore and the Consumers Association of Singapore will work with the merchants and hawker associations to ensure any price changes are made transparent to consumers.

The latest package announced on July 29 will provide an additional $900 million to help households and businesses manage cost pressures arising from the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East on Feb 28.

The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flowed, has caused electricity and petrol prices to increase globally.

The first tranche announced by the Government in April provided about $1 billion in support measures. Siow, who is also Transport Minister, said then that the Government was tracking the prices of food and other essential goods and services very closely.

In June, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu had said that her ministry and the National Environment Agency were engaging hawkers and food distributors and closely watching the impact of rising costs on food prices, in particular for hawkers.

Past instances of rental support for hawkers and market stallholders include a one-time sum of $600 given out in 2025 in celebration of Singapore’s 60th year of independence.