Firm scraps plan to build one of S'pore's largest indoor veggie farms

What would have been one of the Republic's largest indoor vegetable farms, boosting local production of greens by 10 per cent, is no more as the company behind it has returned the plot of land to the Government.

- Cheryl Tan

Local vertical farm VertiVegies had intended to produce some six tonnes of vegetables daily on a 2ha plot, including local favourites such as xiao bai cai, nai bai and cabbage.

But it was unable to finish constructing its farm in Lim Chu Kang within the three-year timeframe stipulated under the tender conditions.

The company said it ran into issues with its joint venture partner, Chinese farming company SananBio, which supplies the farm with its production hardware.

As a result, it had to return the plot of land to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in April 2022, The Straits Times has learnt.

This development is yet another blow to the Republic's goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.

In 2022, the total supply of vegetables in Singapore stood at 537,800 tonnes. Local vegetable production accounted for around 4 per cent of total food consumption that year.

An article by the MIT Technology Review in 2020 said that if the planned VertiVegies farm could meet its production targets, it would be able to boost the country's vegetable production by around 10 per cent.

In its financial statement for FY2023, the company said it had been unable to find viable alternatives to enhancing production since it returned the plot of land to the authorities, which could potentially affect its future revenue forecasts.

In the meantime, it is pivoting its business strategy and exploring a number of options to contribute to Singapore's 30 by 30 goal. The company declined to comment further on this strategy.