'Cannot play hide and seek': Singapore minister's warning over haze sends agricultural stocks lower

A container ship is seen docked at the PSA Tanjong Pagar terminal port in Singapore on October 16, 2026, as the country continues to be shrouded in haze caused by fires in Indonesia. Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images)Yuichi Yamazaki | Afp | Getty ImagesShares of several Singapore-listed agricultural companies fell Tuesday after Senior Minister K Shanmugam warned they won't "escape responsibility" for their possible role in the haze blanketing the city-state. "Companies cannot play hide and seek" with different corporate structures, hoping that will help them, Shanmugam said, revealing that seven companies had been questioned by the Singapore Exchange.Bumitama Agri fell as much as 6.5%, while First Resources dropped to a low of 4.83%. Golden Agri Resources and Wilmar International slipped almost 2%. We will use every legal and regulatory lever at our disposal to exert pressure where it matters, including on their bottom lines, including on their access to fina...