Singapore farms can apply to diversify to meet production targets from Sept 1: SFA
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Farms in Singapore will be given the flexibility to grow other SFA-approved key food types to meet their annual production targets from Sept 1.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
- Singapore farms gain flexibility from September 1 to diversify food types grown, such as vegetables and eggs, beyond initial declarations to meet market needs.
- New farms receive extended timelines: five years to build and eight years to meet production targets.
- These SFA enhancements are aimed at supporting a viable local farming sector, boosting food resilience amid challenges.
AI generated
SINGAPORE - Farms in Singapore will be given the flexibility to grow other kinds of food to meet their annual production targets from Sept 1.
This is among the enhancements made to farm leases that were announced on May 29 by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) after incorporating industry feedback on development timelines and operational flexibility.
The enhancements mark the latest effort to make farming easier for farmers here, after headwinds in the local agricultural sector prompted Singapore in November 2025 to drop its goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030. This was replaced with new targets for fibre and protein production by 2035.
Farms are currently not allowed to grow types of food that they did not declare to meet the annual production output targeted in their tender proposals.
From September, both existing and new farms will be allowed to apply to diversify their production to other key food types approved by SFA. These are leafy vegetables, fruited vegetables, bean sprouts, mushrooms, eggs and seafood.
“This gives farms greater operational flexibility to respond to market conditions while keeping production anchored to Singapore’s food security objectives,” SFA said.
Under the upgraded lease framework, the agency will also give farms more time to obtain permits and certificates necessary for building their projects – up from the current three years to five.
Farms will also get eight years, instead of five, to meet their production targets from the commencement of their lease.
The new timelines will start with parties awarded farmland that SFA released for tender on May 29. The land parcels in Sungei Tengah and Lim Chu Kang were designated for vegetable farming and given 20-year leases.
SFA said the extension for farms to build their premises was made in recognition that the planning and construction of a farm are increasingly complex across agri-tech farm development.
The additional time for farms to meet their targets will allow them to establish channels to sell and deliver their goods before scaling production to meet their declared targets, it added.
In 2024, local vertical farm VertiVegies scrapped its plan to build one of Singapore’s largest indoor vegetable farms after it was unable to finish constructing its farm in Lim Chu Kang within the three years stipulated under the tender conditions.
The company said then that it had run into issues with its joint venture partner that supplied the farm its production hardware. As a result, it had to return the plot of land to SFA in April 2022.
SFA’s deputy chief executive for corporate, industry and technology Leong Der Yao said local production is a regenerative source of fresh food that remains available even during prolonged disruptions when imports cannot reach Singapore’s shores.
“These enhancements give farms greater flexibility, and support a viable local farming sector whilst contributing to food resilience,” he said. “We will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that policies governing agri-land use are responsive to industry needs.”
On May 25, the authorities announced land use changes to concentrate farmland in the north of Lim Chu Kang, as part of plans to advance development of an agri-food hub that has faced delays since it was announced in 2020.
