Two key projects to transform Lim Chu Kang into high-tech food hub delayed
TWO large-scale agri-tech projects in Lim Chu Kang, meant to help turn the rural north-western district into a high-tech food hub, have been delayed.
Developmental work for the Lim Chu Kang masterplan, announced by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in 2020 as an initiative to redevelop some 390ha of land there into a high-productivity agri-food zone, was meant to commence in 2024.
When asked for an update on the masterplan, an SFA spokesman told The Straits Times (ST) that it is still in the “feasibility study and planning phase” – the first of a four-step process, which also involves design development, construction and operations.
Separately, construction work for the Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP) in the Sungei Kadut area, which was meant to be completed from the second quarter of 2021, has also stalled.
The AFIP, announced in 2019 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), is meant to bring together high-tech urban farming and associated research and development activities in Singapore’s agri-tech and food zone, near the Lim Chu Kang farms and other food-related industries in Senoko.
But no buildings or construction work was seen at the site when ST visited in October. There were several tractors on site, but little activity going on in the area.
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According to previous media reports, construction work for the AFIP had to stop for about five months in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Woodland at the site was cleared in 2020 and 2021, before an environmental study was completed. The unauthorised clearance was flagged in January 2021, and work stopped as investigations went on. In November 2023, the contractors involved were fined for prematurely felling the trees.
Responding to queries from ST, JTC Corporation, an agency under MTI overseeing the development of the AFIP, and SFA said plans for the development of the park are being worked out, and details will be announced when they are ready. They did not say what caused the delays.
SFA has said the 30 by 30 vision – which outlines the goal for Singapore to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030 – is a stretch ambition to ensure local produce can serve as a buffer during supply chain disruptions.
As at 2023, Singapore imports around 90 per cent of its food supply from 187 countries.
The master planning of the Lim Chu Kang region into a highly productive agri-food zone will help Singapore raise local food production in a sustainable manner to enhance the country’s food security, said the SFA spokesman.
Since 2020, SFA has been working closely with stakeholders to explore conceptual design ideas for the masterplan, he added.
When SFA launched the masterplan in October 2020, the agency said then that it was to be firmed up in two to three years, before commencing construction in 2024.
In an exhibition held in September 2023 to showcase plans for the area, SFA said the north district of Lim Chu Kang would be developed first, and demonstrate how high-productivity farming can coexist with nature.
The SFA exhibition showcased various options that could be rolled out, including a “stacked farm” approach entailing multi-storey farms to intensify land use.
In response to queries on progress of the masterplan, the SFA spokesman said it will take “several years to complete”.
“The priority of the masterplan will be to put in place essential infrastructure in the region, such as the substation and cables,” he added.
SFA also said it has been conducting environmental studies since 2021 to understand the impact of sustainable farming activities, so that any effect on biodiversity can be managed. Actual site investigations will commence later in 2024.
The agency is also concurrently working with stakeholders and partners to engage prospective companies and tenants for Lim Chu Kang.
“This encompasses engaging best-in-class overseas players willing to establish a presence in Singapore, further advancing the growth of our agri-tech sector,” said the SFA spokesman.
A major constraint in boosting the farming sector is the limited land available, with only 1 per cent of land in the country set aside for agricultural food production.
Besides the two large-scale infrastructural plans, farms that are highly productive and climate-resilient have also been able to bid for agricultural plots in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah.
Most plots have a tenure of 20 years each, some of which have an option of being extended for another 10 years.
A total of seven tranches of land tenders have been launched so far, the first of which was awarded more than six years ago in February 2018.
Checks by ST found that a number of farms that were awarded the plots later withdrew due to various reasons, including at least three of eight farms that were awarded plots in February 2018.
Farm deLight, which had previously been growing microgreens, was awarded a tender in 2018 for a 2ha plot in Lim Chu Kang, to expand its farming operations beyond its 600 sq m facility in Boon Lay.
However, it ended up surrendering the plot of land amid internal business complications. The company eventually closed down in 2024.
According to SFA’s records, another player, Eden Garden Farm, withdrew after it was awarded a land plot in 2018. The same plot was subsequently re-tendered in November 2019 to another farm known as LiteLeaf.
ST had also previously reported that VertiVegies abandoned plans in 2022 to construct its indoor farm in Lim Chu Kang, and it is now focusing on other aspects such as developing seeds for use in controlled environments, as well as farm education.
It cited problems with its joint venture partner, Chinese farming company SananBio, which supplied the farm with its production hardware.
The same plot was later awarded to a company known as SC Investment.
In farmland tender documents, SFA had indicated that it will take into account, among other things, the farm’s production track record, business plan and construction cost, and potential production output – which is a critical criterion.
Once it has been awarded the tender, the farm would have to complete its construction work within a three-year timeframe.
ST asked if SFA had put up stricter conditions for subsequent tenders to deter more players from withdrawing.
In response, the agency said it has requirements in place, such as having a forfeitable deposit, to ensure participation by serious bidders only. Those who have withdrawn may be debarred from participating in future tenders.
In the latest tender tranche awarded in April, four out of five available land plots were awarded, despite drawing 15 bidders. SFA said the remaining plot will be re-tendered in subsequent tranches.
One farm, Taiwanese-owned SunPower Grand Holdings, which had withdrawn after receiving a land tender in 2018, was awarded a plot in the latest round in April.
When asked why it withdrew, a spokesman said it had run into issues constructing its farm due to delays arising from Covid-19, with border closures making travel to Singapore difficult. It also could not meet the construction completion timeline, which would have been in 2021.
Now, with the pandemic over, the farm, which will be almost fully automated from the seeding to the harvesting process, will grow salad greens, ranging from romaine to butterhead lettuce.
It will begin construction in 2025 and aims to complete the works by the end of 2026. THE STRAITS TIMES
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