Two plots of land for farming on the market

Tender comes amid push to boost local food production

The Sungei Tengah Road plot (top) must be used for growing vegetables, while the Neo Tiew Crescent plot (above) may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, frogs and cattle or goats for dairy milk. The tender will close at noon on Nov 10.
The Sungei Tengah Road plot (above) must be used for growing vegetables, while the Neo Tiew Crescent plot may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, frogs and cattle or goats for dairy milk. ST PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM
The Sungei Tengah Road plot (top) must be used for growing vegetables, while the Neo Tiew Crescent plot (above) may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, frogs and cattle or goats for dairy milk. The tender will close at noon on Nov 10.
The Sungei Tengah Road plot must be used for growing vegetables, while the Neo Tiew Crescent plot (above) may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, frogs and cattle or goats for dairy milk. ST PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM

Two land parcels for farming in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah have come on the market.

The more than 10,000 sq m plot in Neo Tiew Crescent may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, frogs and cattle or goats for dairy milk, while the over 11,900 sq m plot in Sungei Tengah Road must be used for growing vegetables.

Each plot, about the size of 11/2 football fields, comes with a 20-year lease. The tender, released by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), will close at noon on Nov 10.

This is the sixth round of agricultural land sales since 2017, as Singapore shores up its local production capabilities in line with its "30 by 30" goal of meeting 30 per cent of the country's nutritional needs locally by 2030.

In January, Hay Dairies was awarded a 10,000 sq m parcel of agricultural land in Neo Tiew Crescent with a winning bid of $500,000.

Proposals for the two plots will be assessed based on the farms' production capability, track record, relevant experience and qualifications, as well as on innovation, business viability and waste management.

Those that can achieve high production levels sustainably will have a higher chance of being awarded the land parcels, the agency said.

"With less than 1 per cent of land set aside for agriculture food production, our farms have to make efficient use of scarce resources such as land, water and energy."

The country's farmlands are mostly in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, near Choa Chu Kang.

The agency will work with agricultural industry players towards "an exciting vision" for the Lim Chu Kang agrarian area, said Mr Melvin Chow, senior director of SFA's food supply resilience division.

For example, farm operators have requested centralised facilities and services, he said.

The SFA is also studying how the area can be redeveloped to enhance its food production while incorporating circular economy principles such as waste reduction.

He added: "Moving forward, the plans and schedule for future land tenders will be tailored to support promising farms in achieving the high food production levels required to meet our '30 by 30' goal."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 16, 2020, with the headline Two plots of land for farming on the market. Subscribe