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SINGAPORE: People living on Housing and Development Board (HDB) farms from Tampines to Sembawang will soon be able to see food production on their doorstep, after the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) launched tenders for nine sites of urban agriculture on Tuesday (May 12).
Located on the rooftops of multi-storey HDB car parks, the rental sites will be used to grow vegetables and other food crops, as well as activities such as packing and storing produce, SFA and HDB said in a joint press release.
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Two cluster sites will be tendered, one in Sembawang and one in Jurong West.
Consisting of two parcels each, these cluster sites will enable production at scale, allowing farmers to enjoy cost savings, SFA and HDB said.
Five other sites, in Choa Chu Kang, Tampines, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh, will be offered as unique sites.
These individual sites will provide opportunities to “test innovative ideas,” said SFA and HDB.
Those interested can submit their proposals through the online public procurement platform GeBiz before the tender closes at 4 p.m. from June 9.
“The proposals will be evaluated based on their bid price, production, site design and layout, as well as (their) business / marketing plan,” authorities said.
The decision to find an alternative agricultural space in Singapore, with land limitations, is part of the OSS strategy to meet the country’s goal of producing 30 percent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030, the two agencies said .
It is also in line with HDB’s efforts to intensify greening on farms, they added.
READ: Raising the Roof – Cultivating Singapore’s Urban Agricultural Scene
Tuesday’s launch followed last year’s pilot opening of a multi-story parking lot rooftop farm in Ang Mo Kio, which sparked growing industry and public interest in urban agriculture, said Melvin Chow, director senior of the SFA food supply resilience division.
“Residents in the area have been able to enjoy fresh produce from the farm at nearby supermarkets, and can witness firsthand the hard work involved in bringing our food from the farm to the table,” he said.
“We hope that consumers will continue to show their appreciation for our local farms by purchasing their products.”
SFA and HDB are looking to open more urban farms on car park roofs, with additional public tenders to be launched in the second half of 2020.
More details will be released at a later date, authorities said.
Last month, a S $ 30 million grant was announced for the agri-food industry to accelerate the production of commonly consumed foods such as eggs, vegetables, and fish.
Their goal was to further strengthen Singapore’s food security, with the COVID-19 pandemic underscoring the importance of local food production, authorities said.
