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SINGAPORE – It appears that the Lim Chu Kang area will become Singapore’s food plate, as the country intensifies its push to produce more food locally as a buffer against global supply crises.
Some 390ha of land will be remodeled under a master plan to create a “highly productive, resource efficient, high-tech agri-food cluster,” the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Friday (October 2).
He added that this will make the Lim Chu Kang area, which is currently home to several traditional farms, more productive.
Currently, an average vegetable farm in Singapore occupies around 2ha of land and produces around 130 tonnes of vegetables per hectare every year.
But the SFA said that a high-tech vegetable farm has the potential to produce more than 1,000 tons per hectare each year with less than one hectare of land.
The food agency added that with the redevelopment, the Lim Chu Kang area could more than triple its current food production.
Stakeholders such as farmers and agri-food experts will be consulted over the next two to three years.
Development works are expected to begin in 2024 and will be carried out in phases, the SFA added in a statement.
The food agency was giving details on the transformation of rural northwest Singapore, following an announcement in March this year that the Lim Chu Kang agricultural area will be planned and redeveloped to improve food production.
In 2019, there were 111 licensed onshore food farms, many of which are clustered around the northwestern part of Singapore.
SFA Executive Director Lim Kok Thai said: “Our goal is to create a vibrant and attractive agri-food cluster where the world’s best agri-food companies, the next generation of ag tech workers and visitors will be delighted to work in and visit . “
LIM CHU KANG REHABILITATION
All farms that are currently in the Lim Chu Kang area will be able to remain until the end of their leases, the SFA said.
Ten food farms and 13 non-food farms, whose leases expire between this year and 2022, will be offered a short lease extension, after which the land will be rebuilt according to the master plan, the SFA said.
A food farm and two non-food farms whose leases expire between 2026 and 2027 will be able to continue until their leases expire, the agency said.
SFA and the National Parks Board (NParks) will work closely with these farms to support their transition plans. Some non-food farms, such as ornamental fish farms and nurseries, are within the scope of NParks.
Singapore currently produces less than 10 percent of its own food, although the plan is to increase it to 30 percent by 2030.
The food agency said the Republic’s heavy reliance on food imports makes the country vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains.
“The current global Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of ensuring that we have diversified sources and resilient food supply chains,” the SFA added.
In addition to importing food from a wide range of countries and territories (more than 170 to date), local production is a key pillar of Singapore’s food security strategy.
The Lim Chu Kang redevelopment will help the local agri-food sector develop sustainable, highly productive and industry-leading farms of the future, strengthening food security and creating jobs, the SFA said.
To this end, the food agency will study the development of shared facilities in the Lim Chu Kang area to reduce production costs and resource use, as well as establish water, electricity and transportation infrastructure to support high-growth agricultural systems. technology and attract a new generation of skilled agricultural technology workers.
“We will also explore how we can conserve resource use and minimize waste by adopting circular economy principles,” he added.
This could include, for example, using animal waste from one farm as fertilizer for another.
Agri-food production will be the key focus of the master plan exercise, but the agency will study how to incorporate and support other elements, such as farmers markets and educational tours.
SFA said Lim Chu Kang’s master plan does not encroach on the recently announced Sungei Buloh Natural Park Network, which includes the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the Kranji Swamps.
The food agency will conduct an environmental study later this year and will work with nature groups to better understand the flora and fauna ecosystem in the area.
The study is expected to be completed in mid-2021 and the findings will be considered as part of its master plan exercise.
FARMERS RESPOND
Farmers welcomed the news of Lim Chu Kang’s redevelopment and said plans to improve infrastructure in the area are timely.
The vice president of the Singapore Agri-Food Business Federation (Safef), Mr. Chew Chee Bin, noted that roads in the area are currently “very narrow”, for example. He said that in addition to roads, water, power and sewer infrastructure must be improved as farms take advantage of more technology to increase yields.
Safef is a non-profit organization comprising farms in the food, fish, livestock and vegetable sectors of the industry, as well as industry partners.
Chew said: “Our industry feels the infrastructure needs to be upgraded. Power supply and wastewater are critical to high-tech farms. ”
Jean Woon, 31, manager of Ser Poh Farm, said that his 1.2ha bean sprout farm will move from its current location in Lim Chu Kang to a new parcel of land in Sungei Tengah by the third quarter of next year, with plans to double the farm’s current production.
The farm, which harvests bean sprouts and soybeans, will have access at its new location to a more complete range of technology, as well as improved equipment and space planning to improve its efficiency.
“The new farm will have incorporated technology such as automatic irrigation systems, automatic packaging and vacuum cooling, which can collectively improve the productivity and quality of our products,” he said.
Other farmers The Straits Times spoke to say the master plan shows how seriously the Republic is taking food security.
This gives farmers the confidence to invest in high-tech and more productive solutions, as they are confident that the authorities have a broader plan for the sector in Singapore, said Kenny Eng, director of Nyee Phoe Group, a horticultural company.
“Covid-19 has shown us that even if we have money, we cannot buy food. And a true gastronomic history of Singapore is essential, ”said Mr. Eng.
He added that the authorities are doing the right thing by involving stakeholders in the area.
Quail farmer William Ho, president of the Kranji Countryside Association Farmers’ Coalition, said having the right infrastructure could lead to better use of resources between farms.
“For example, the manure from my quail could be used for biogas that can be used to generate energy,” he explained.
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