SINGAPORE: Some farms in Singapore are pivoting to products that are cheaper than imports and better suited to the tropical climate – with support from government initiatives that encourage experimentation.
Crops such as Italian kale and basil are harvested fresh at Tomato Town’s farms in Woodlands and Jurong. The company has been operating for almost four years, supplying produce to supermarkets and restaurants.
It grows about 3,000kg of vegetables each month and is now conducting trials to identify other suitable varieties to cultivate. These crops must be resistant to pests, able to thrive in Singapore’s climate and competitively priced.
Tomato Town has spent at least S$10,000 (US$7,700) on trials to determine which plants would be profitable. Market studies and consumer taste tests are used to assess demand for new produce, said its director Webster Tham.
"If the price point is too much of a difference when we import it versus when we grow locally, we'll try not to compete,” he said.
“We don't want to end up being on the losing end because of price, so we tend to grow crops that are not easily or readily available. That way, it's easier for us to control the prices and make sure that there are more varieties for the consumer to choose from."
The company found that kailan and certain types of spinach did not grow well, due to their low pest resistance and poor suitability for Singapore’s weather.
But some crops proved successful – Tomato Town’s mainstay is now kale, basil and tomatoes, with Japanese lettuce next in line.
Crops grown at local vegetable farm Tomato Town.
The Japanese lettuce is firmer than romaine or iceberg varieties, said Mr Tham. This helps the vegetable retain water content longer, making it more suitable for Singapore’s humid conditions.
Tomato Town also receives support from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in pest management and crop development. Tertiary institutions such as Republic Polytechnic assist with testing and advisory work.
“Urban farming in Singapore is still pretty young, so I'm sure there are still a lot of crops that are suitable for growing in Singapore that are not uncovered yet,” Mr Tham added.
At Singaponics High Tech Farm near Old Choa Chu Kang Road, 90 per cent of its land is currently used to rear food fish such as dory patin and jade perch.
But by 2030, the farm plans to convert 80 per cent of that land to shrimp farming. As both fish and shrimp rearing use similar aquaculture systems, the farm does not need to invest significantly more to make the transition.
“Shrimp fetches a better price, and the farming cycle of shrimp is faster. For one year, you can farm up to three to four cycles of shrimp, compared to fish, which typically takes about one to two years to grow,” said managing director Johnson Pay.
Singaponics High Tech Farm plans to convert 80 per cent of its land to shrimp farming by 2030.
The farm currently raises mainly vannamei shrimp, which can be reared at densities of 500 to 600 shrimp per square metre, lowering production costs and making them more competitive against imports.
Mr Pay said local shrimp farming is more competitive as imports from Malaysia and Indonesia often suffer high mortality rates due to longer transport times and differing water quality.
Imported shrimp can experience up to 100 per cent mortality within three to four days, while locally-farmed shrimp can last up to six days to a week, he added.
Singaponics High Tech Farm's managing director Johnson Pay.
“Growing shrimp in Singapore demands a very high quality so that means no antibiotics, no other harmful substances being fed to them. So naturally, they are healthier and more sturdy,” he added.
Local farms can also better control produce quality, Mr Pay said. For shrimp, they are not fed for up to a week before sale. This allows them to purge waste from their intestines, reducing a “muddy” odour.
The farm also began growing vegetables in vertical plots above its fish tanks three years ago. These are mainly sold as food products - like spinach ice cream - to restaurants, as there is too much competition when selling them in their original form, Mr Pay added.
Both Mr Pay and Mr Tham say support from the SFA has encouraged farmers to test new species through grants and technical expertise like new seeds and better fish feed.
Meanwhile, a group representing farmers is looking to tackle rising expenses with a shared logistics service aimed at reducing delivery runs and distribution costs, which could make local produce more affordable.
Led by the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF), the potential pilot could transform how food moves from farm to table by establishing central distribution hubs where farmers can drop off produce for collection by buyers and distributors.
Such a facility would benefit farms like MEOD, whose team begins islandwide deliveries from its Lim Chu Kang farm from as early as 3am daily. Its two lorries deliver vegetables to wet markets first, before heading to supermarkets and homes.
These trips cost about S$10,000 a month in fuel, maintenance and salaries.
A staff member of local vegetable farm MEOD (right) delivers produce at a wet market in Whampoa.
“If the government has a centralised area, that will definitely help a lot of farmers,” said MEOD’s managing director Ong Boon Chuan.
Having just one location to deliver to will boost efficiency, he added. “So instead of two lorries, maybe I only need one lorry. That will be easier.”
SAFEF, which represents at least 50 farmers, hopes to start such a service in Lim Chu Kang, and eventually have more such small distribution centres to reduce distances between farms and other partners involved.
Such centres “will unlock new competitiveness for local produce”, said SAFEF’s CEO Ken Cheong. “Buyers and distributors will switch more readily to local produce if we are more convenient and more accessible for them.”
The federation is also exploring shared manpower services and private shuttle buses to ferry local workers to farms.
SAFEF told CNA it has been in talks with companies over the past three months to push these projects forward. CNA understands some smaller farms in Lim Chu Kang are already informally sharing delivery space.
Transportation can make or break a farm, say industry players. V-Plus Agritech, a farm in Lim Chu Kang that once supplied vegetables, learned this the hard way when its third-party logistics provider ended services, saying the route was no longer viable.
After failing to secure another partner to transport its greens, the firm pivoted to other work.
“We hovered in a no-revenue situation for a few months,” said its CEO Nelson Tan. “Now we are in the business of helping our customers build farms and maintain farms for them."
The company was in talks with SAFEF about setting up a shared distribution network with other smaller farms over a year ago, but the plan did not materialise.
“It's quite difficult, because every farm, the volume is different, the consistency is not there. If we were to run a route like that … just the delivery and the business model is different for every farm, so it's very difficult to justify the investment,” he added.
To stay afloat, the company now sells seedlings to other farms.
Looking ahead, SAFEF is also studying centralised distribution points for aquaculture at two SFA jetties at Lorong Halus and Lim Chu Kang.
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Crops such as Italian kale and basil are harvested fresh at Tomato Town’s farms in Woodlands and Jurong. The company has been operating for almost four years, supplying produce to supermarkets and restaurants.
It grows about 3,000kg of vegetables each month and is now conducting trials to identify other suitable varieties to cultivate. These crops must be resistant to pests, able to thrive in Singapore’s climate and competitively priced.
EXPERIMENTATION IS KEY
Tomato Town has spent at least S$10,000 (US$7,700) on trials to determine which plants would be profitable. Market studies and consumer taste tests are used to assess demand for new produce, said its director Webster Tham.
"If the price point is too much of a difference when we import it versus when we grow locally, we'll try not to compete,” he said.
“We don't want to end up being on the losing end because of price, so we tend to grow crops that are not easily or readily available. That way, it's easier for us to control the prices and make sure that there are more varieties for the consumer to choose from."
The company found that kailan and certain types of spinach did not grow well, due to their low pest resistance and poor suitability for Singapore’s weather.
But some crops proved successful – Tomato Town’s mainstay is now kale, basil and tomatoes, with Japanese lettuce next in line.
Crops grown at local vegetable farm Tomato Town.
The Japanese lettuce is firmer than romaine or iceberg varieties, said Mr Tham. This helps the vegetable retain water content longer, making it more suitable for Singapore’s humid conditions.
Tomato Town also receives support from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in pest management and crop development. Tertiary institutions such as Republic Polytechnic assist with testing and advisory work.
“Urban farming in Singapore is still pretty young, so I'm sure there are still a lot of crops that are suitable for growing in Singapore that are not uncovered yet,” Mr Tham added.
Related:
BANKING ON SHRIMPS
At Singaponics High Tech Farm near Old Choa Chu Kang Road, 90 per cent of its land is currently used to rear food fish such as dory patin and jade perch.
But by 2030, the farm plans to convert 80 per cent of that land to shrimp farming. As both fish and shrimp rearing use similar aquaculture systems, the farm does not need to invest significantly more to make the transition.
“Shrimp fetches a better price, and the farming cycle of shrimp is faster. For one year, you can farm up to three to four cycles of shrimp, compared to fish, which typically takes about one to two years to grow,” said managing director Johnson Pay.
Singaponics High Tech Farm plans to convert 80 per cent of its land to shrimp farming by 2030.
The farm currently raises mainly vannamei shrimp, which can be reared at densities of 500 to 600 shrimp per square metre, lowering production costs and making them more competitive against imports.
Mr Pay said local shrimp farming is more competitive as imports from Malaysia and Indonesia often suffer high mortality rates due to longer transport times and differing water quality.
Imported shrimp can experience up to 100 per cent mortality within three to four days, while locally-farmed shrimp can last up to six days to a week, he added.
Singaponics High Tech Farm's managing director Johnson Pay.
“Growing shrimp in Singapore demands a very high quality so that means no antibiotics, no other harmful substances being fed to them. So naturally, they are healthier and more sturdy,” he added.
Local farms can also better control produce quality, Mr Pay said. For shrimp, they are not fed for up to a week before sale. This allows them to purge waste from their intestines, reducing a “muddy” odour.
The farm also began growing vegetables in vertical plots above its fish tanks three years ago. These are mainly sold as food products - like spinach ice cream - to restaurants, as there is too much competition when selling them in their original form, Mr Pay added.
SHARED LOGISTICS TO LOWER COSTS
Both Mr Pay and Mr Tham say support from the SFA has encouraged farmers to test new species through grants and technical expertise like new seeds and better fish feed.
Meanwhile, a group representing farmers is looking to tackle rising expenses with a shared logistics service aimed at reducing delivery runs and distribution costs, which could make local produce more affordable.
Led by the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF), the potential pilot could transform how food moves from farm to table by establishing central distribution hubs where farmers can drop off produce for collection by buyers and distributors.
Such a facility would benefit farms like MEOD, whose team begins islandwide deliveries from its Lim Chu Kang farm from as early as 3am daily. Its two lorries deliver vegetables to wet markets first, before heading to supermarkets and homes.
These trips cost about S$10,000 a month in fuel, maintenance and salaries.
A staff member of local vegetable farm MEOD (right) delivers produce at a wet market in Whampoa.
“If the government has a centralised area, that will definitely help a lot of farmers,” said MEOD’s managing director Ong Boon Chuan.
Having just one location to deliver to will boost efficiency, he added. “So instead of two lorries, maybe I only need one lorry. That will be easier.”
SAFEF, which represents at least 50 farmers, hopes to start such a service in Lim Chu Kang, and eventually have more such small distribution centres to reduce distances between farms and other partners involved.
Such centres “will unlock new competitiveness for local produce”, said SAFEF’s CEO Ken Cheong. “Buyers and distributors will switch more readily to local produce if we are more convenient and more accessible for them.”
The federation is also exploring shared manpower services and private shuttle buses to ferry local workers to farms.
SAFEF told CNA it has been in talks with companies over the past three months to push these projects forward. CNA understands some smaller farms in Lim Chu Kang are already informally sharing delivery space.
Related:
JUSTIFIED INVESTMENT?
Transportation can make or break a farm, say industry players. V-Plus Agritech, a farm in Lim Chu Kang that once supplied vegetables, learned this the hard way when its third-party logistics provider ended services, saying the route was no longer viable.
After failing to secure another partner to transport its greens, the firm pivoted to other work.
“We hovered in a no-revenue situation for a few months,” said its CEO Nelson Tan. “Now we are in the business of helping our customers build farms and maintain farms for them."
The company was in talks with SAFEF about setting up a shared distribution network with other smaller farms over a year ago, but the plan did not materialise.
“It's quite difficult, because every farm, the volume is different, the consistency is not there. If we were to run a route like that … just the delivery and the business model is different for every farm, so it's very difficult to justify the investment,” he added.
To stay afloat, the company now sells seedlings to other farms.
Looking ahead, SAFEF is also studying centralised distribution points for aquaculture at two SFA jetties at Lorong Halus and Lim Chu Kang.
Continue reading...