Two land parcels for food farming up for sale by tender: SFA

THE Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Tuesday announced it has launched two land parcels for food farming at Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah for sale by public tender.

One of the sites is for general agriculture (food) farming. Parcel LCK 114C is located at Neo Tiew Crescent and occupies an area of about 10,000 square metres (sq m). It may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, cattle/goats for dairy milk, as well as frogs meant for consumption.

The other site, meant for vegetable farming, is situated at Sungei Tengah Road. Parcel ST35A has a land area of about 11,917 sq m.

Both plots have 20-year lease terms.

"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," SFA said in a pres statement.

It added that farms should leverage technology to increase productivity and be sustainable and resilient against climate change.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Tuesday, 12 pm

Property Insights

Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond.

Sign Up

According to SFA, proposals that can achieve high production levels sustainably will have a higher chance of being awarded these new land parcels.

The agency will assess proposals on their production capability, track record, relevant experience and qualifications, as well as innovation and business sustainability including waste management.

This is the sixth tranche of farmland released for tender since 2017.

Melvin Chow, SFA's senior director for food supply resilience, said 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 Singapore's "30 by 30" goal. Announced in 2019, the "30 by 30" goal is for Singapore to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030, up from less than 10 per cent.

The agency is also studying how the larger Lim Chu Kang agriculture area can be redeveloped to enhance food production, considering feedback from farm operators for centralised facilities and services as well as circular economy principles, Mr Chow added.

The SFA is a statutory board formed under the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to oversee food safety and security.

The tender for the two land parcels will close at noon on Nov 10.