Local farms produce mainly leafy vegetables and beansprouts. More than 80% of the leafy vegetables produced are derived from soil cultivation and the rest are from hydroponic cultivation. Cultivation under protective netting is widely practiced and this ensures production of high quality leafy vegetables. The leafy vegetables and beansprouts produced, amounting to $14 million in value, are wholly consumed by the domestic market.
Singapore is a major exporter of cut orchids, and has a 15% share of the world market. Its orchids are renowned for their exquisite quality and for their longer vase-life (for cut-orchids). In 2004, the orchid and ornamental plant industry exported some S$56 million worth of cut orchids and ornamental plants (including aquatic plants). Farms cultivating orchid and ornamental plants in the Agrotechnology Parks export their products to over 30 countries worldwide such as Japan (which is the main market accounting for some S$18 million (63%) of total exports) and other countries such as Australia, USA, Greece and Canada.
To further galvanize the floriculture industry and strengthen Singapore's position as an exporter of premium quality tropical orchids, AVA facilitated the formation of the Orchid Business Cluster in 2003. For more information on the Orchid Business cluster, please click here.
Kok Fah Technology Farm, a leafy vegetable farm of nearly two hectares, is located in AVA's Sungei Tengah Agrotechnology Park. It is one of the well-established farms doing soil cultivation of leafy vegetables under protected netting.
The farm has been in operation for seven years and supplies about 900 kilogrammes of leafy vegetables daily. The varieties grown include bayam (Amaranthus gangeticus), caixin (Brassica chinensis var. parachinensis), gailan (B. alboglabra), kang kong (Ipomoea aquatica) and xiaobaicai (B. chinensis).
The vegetables are packed and sold under the "Pasar" brand by a leading supermarket chain. The farm is installed with an overhead water sprinkler system for automated irrigation of plants and uses composting to enhance the quality of the soil.
The vegetables produced by Oh Chin Huat Hydroponic Farms are unique in that they are pesticide-free and are grown under soil-less conditions without the use of pesticides using the Dynamic Root Floating (DRF) hydroponic technique in modular greenhouses. The farm has been supplying hydroponic vegetables to market since 1991 This 2.4 hectare farm, located at Bah Soon Pah Road, with more than 200 units of modular growing houses produces 500 kilogrammes of vegetables daily.
The types of crops grown include the traditional leafy vegetables such as caixin, xiaobaicai, gailan, bayam, leaf lettuce and other crops like aromatic herbs such as basil, chives, oregano, thyme and parsley.
Research and development is conducted on the farm to improve the quality and range of produce offered to the market. The farm is also equipped with a laboratory for nutrient analysis.
Toh Orchids is one of the leading exporters of orchids in Singapore. Established in 1973, the 3-hectare orchid farm in Sungei Tengah Agrotechnology Park has earned a reputation as a leading cultivator and exporter of over 30 varieties of cut-orchids worldwide. The Company has expanded to another 2 farms totaling 9.8 ha, with one specializing in orchid production and the other in ornamental plant production.
The farm has actively participated in international flower shows and trade exhibitions and has won many awards. The quality of the orchids is ensured through stringent selection of new hybrids and micro-propagation in the farm's very own specialized tissue culture laboratory. The availability of technological know-how such as DNA fingerprinting has also enabled Toh Orchids to protect the identity of their exclusive hybrids. Toh Orchid is ISO 9001 certified and is also accredited by AVA under the Assurance Certification Scheme (ACS).
Cut flower production and handling are carried out ¨Cunder ideal conditions using the latest technology on the farm. An example is the robotic spray shuttle, developed to save labour and to ensure efficiency and reliability in pesticide application. In addition, staff is trained to select, grade and pack the cut flowers for optimum shelf life.
Toh Orchids' well-established marketing and distribution network and strong commitment to quality has allowed them to deliver fresh-cut orchids to most parts of the world within 24 hours, anytime of the year.
The largest orchid farm in Singapore, it occupies 43 hectares of land at Mandai Agrotechnology Park. Orchidville has a collection of some 2 million orchid plants, and can produce 20 million stalks of cut orchids annually.
Orchidville targets its sales at both the local and overseas markets, with more than half of its orchids exported to international markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Australia and the United States of America. It provides contract services in total flower management, plant and flower arrangement, and landscaping with orchids.
Orchidville has been appointed by the Singapore Tourism Board as an edu-tourism farm. Its facilities include, an indoor display and showroom for orchids, an outdoor lifestyle display area, research laboratories, training halls, packing area for sales, as well as a visitors' lounge. It caters to tourists, schools, expatriates and the local community on farm visits, guided tours and lectures on orchid cultivation and tissue culture.
With its modern facilities and good production capabilities, Orchidville is well poised to be one of the major players in Singapore's well-reputed orchid industry.
|