Singapore’s S$80 million vertical farm must pass the 50-cent test to succeed

Local producers can bridge the price gap between their produce and those of importers by selling better

Domestic vegetable producers can band together under collective brands such as SG Farmers’ Market to pool reputation and shelf presence. PHOTO: BT FILE

THE Singapore Food Agency’s 2026 farmland tender closed in July. Two vegetable-farming plots in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah drew just five bidders; the Lim Chu Kang parcel received only a single bid – and even that was the applicant’s second choice.

The lukewarm tender contrasts sharply with January’s high-profile opening of the world’s tallest indoor vertical farm – an S$80 million facility coming in at 23.3 metres and five storeys – built by home-grown agritech company Greenphyto.

Its first-year output is 200 tonnes, but its total designed capacity is 2,000 tonnes – equivalent to that of dozens of hectares of vegetable fields. Greenphyto’s produce already sits in major supermarkets such as FairPrice and Sheng Siong under the Hydrogreens brand.

Agriculture/Farming Singapore Food Agency Food industry