SINGAPORE – 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, cattle or goats for dairy milk, and frogs, while the over 11,900 sq m plot in Sungei Tengah Road should be used for growing vegetables.

Each plot, which comes with a 20-year lease, is the size of about two football fields. The tender, released by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), will close at 12pm on Nov 10 this year.

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 its 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 on the farms’ production capability, track record, relevant experience and qualifications, as well as innovation, business viability and waste management. Proposals for the two plots that can achieve high production levels sustainably will have a higher chance of being awarded the land parcels, SFA 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,” said SFA.

“Farms should leverage technology to increase productivity and be sustainable and resilient against climate change.”

Singapore’s farmlands are mostly in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, near Chua Chu Kang.

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

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

SFA is 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 to achieve the high food production levels required to meet our ’30 by 30′ goal.”

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