Local firm to grow tropical strawberries in regional farms four times the size of Ang Mo Kio

SINGAPORE – Singrow, the Singapore firm behind strawberries that can be grown in tropical climates, have made plans to co-develop farmlands in Malaysia and Thailand, with some as large as 56 km sq – four times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate.

Such agreements will allow Singrow to increase the production volume of their strawberries by at least 100 times more, and under the franchise contracts of these agreements, a proportion will be shipped exclusively to Singapore.

This will provide the Republic with a year-long supply of high quality, typically seasonal fruit at prices comparable to those traditionally farm grown around the world.

Singrow said that presently, the price, quality and size oftheir strawberries are comparable to those shipped from Japan or Korea that retail between $25 and $50 per pack of 9 to 12 luxury strawberries. With these global expansion plans in place, the firm hopes to eventually bring down the price of strawberries to around $12 to $15 per pack.

Additionally, Singrow said that these strawberries can be grown pesticide and fertiliser free.

While the exact proportion of fruit from these regional farms reserved for Singaporean markets is still under discussion, chief executive Bao Shengjie of Singrow said that the plans will “definitely” contribute to the Republic’s ambition for food independence, and can be tapped on should times of emergency befall Singapore.

Dr Bao, who is also the chief scientist of Singrow, said: “With only 1 per cent of Singapore’s land mass being set aside for farming purposes and with limited sources, the local agriculture industry needs to look at new ways to boost food production… And that’s how Singrow’s technology is relevant for our current times.”

These plans were unveiled at the launch of Singrow’s Research and Development (R&D) farm at Science Park Drive on Tuesday. Measuring about 300 sq m, the farm is expected to harvest around 500 kg of produce monthly.

The R&D lab will also focus on producing novel crop varieties to be grown in farms around the world.

An example is a high-yield, drought-resistant variant of rice which can be grown and harvested in two months compared to the usual five to six.

Other crop varieties include climate-resistant blueberries, grapes and maize, which – like the strawberries – have been selectively bred over several generations for the ability to grow in tropical temperatures.