Singapore — Singapore Food Story 2, urban agriculture and food-security infrastructure

Policy targets after the 30 by 30 reset

In November 2025 the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment announced Singapore Food Story 2, replacing the single '30 by 30' nutritional-needs goal with category-specific targets after a year-long review. Local farms are now expected to build the capability and capacity to supply 20% of fibre consumption (leafy and fruited vegetables, bean sprouts, mushrooms) and 30% of protein consumption (eggs and seafood) by 2035. The strategy rests on four pillars — Diversify Imports, Grow Local, Stockpile and Global Partnerships — and is administered by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) under the Food Safety and Security Act 2025.

• Fibre target: 20% of local consumption by 2035 (about 8% in 2024)
• Protein target: 30% of local consumption by 2035 (about 26% in 2024)
• Grow Local is now one pillar of four, not the headline metric
• Food Safety and Security Act 2025 consolidates food safety and security legislation
• Implication for suppliers: procurement cases are judged on bankable output per dollar, not on policy enthusiasm

Import dependency and where local production actually stands

Singapore imports more than 90% of its food. Import diversification remains the core resilience strategy: SFA reported sourcing from over 180 countries and regions in 2025, up from roughly 140 two decades earlier, with new accreditations regularly added for shell eggs, processed eggs, poultry, pork and beef. Local production is positioned as insurance rather than substitution. Recent SFA figures put local eggs at roughly a third of consumption, while vegetables and seafood remain in the low single digits to mid single digits of consumption. Productivity, not acreage, is where the gains are being recorded — vegetable farm productivity rose about 10%, from 231.4 to 253.3 tonnes per hectare, in the most recent reported year.

• >90% of food imported; 180+ source countries and regions
• Eggs are the strongest local category at roughly a third of consumption
• Vegetables ~3% and seafood ~6% of consumption in recent reporting
• Vegetable productivity: 231.4 → 253.3 tonnes/ha/year
• Accreditation at source is mandatory for higher-risk items (livestock, meat, eggs)

Project pipeline: land tenders, leases and shared-facility concepts

The visible project pipeline runs through SFA's annual Singapore Agri-Space Sales (SAS) Programme rather than through open EPC tenders. The 2026 round put two vegetable-farming parcels to public tender — ST28I at Sungei Tengah and LCK 218 at Lim Chu Kang — on 20-year leases, with bids assessed on production capability, track record, farming experience, innovation and business sustainability rather than on price alone. Alongside the tender, SFA revised the lease framework in response to industry feedback on build timelines. The government is also studying a shared multi-farm facility offering common utilities and services to lower unit production costs — a format that would shift capex demand toward shared headworks, chillers and utility plant.

• Project Completion Period extended from 3 to 5 years
• Timeline to meet declared Potential Production Output extended from 5 to 8 years
• Farms may apply to diversify key food types to meet PPO on a 1:1 tonnage basis
• Award criteria are capability-weighted — reference projects matter more than lowest price
• Feasibility study underway on a multi-farm facility with shared utilities and services

Controlled-environment agriculture: what is bankable now

Singapore remains one of the most capex-intensive CEA markets per hectare, but the 2023–2025 consolidation among urban and vertical farms reset lender expectations. Financiers and SFA assessors now look for demonstrated yield per square metre, energy cost per kilogram and a contracted offtake route before they will underwrite a facility. Multi-tier hydroponics, rooftop and industrial-building grow systems, and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) still dominate new deployment, but proposals that rely on grant funding to close the operating gap are the ones failing at diligence.

• Energy cost per kg is the single most scrutinised operating metric
• Contracted offtake with retailers or foodservice materially improves bankability
• RAS and hatchery capacity are supported through SFA's National Broodstock Centre and Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme
• Clean & Green Standard and Singapore GAP/GAqP certification support both grant claims and retail listings

Financing routes for a Singapore agri-food project

Public co-funding runs through SFA's Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund 2, extended with a new tranche of S$70 million over five years and open for applications until 31 March 2031. It is available only to SFA-licensed local farms, which means an international supplier is a vendor into a grant-funded project, not the grant recipient. ACT Fund 2 covers Capability Upgrading (pre-scoped solutions via the Productivity Solutions Grant, consultancy and certification), Technology Upscaling (large-scale commercial production systems and standalone pre- and post-harvest facilities) and a newer Industry Partnerships for Capability Transformation component. R&D is funded separately through the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme across aquaculture, sustainable urban agriculture, future foods and food safety.

• ACT Fund 2 — co-funding for SFA-licensed farms; applications open to 31 March 2031
• Productivity Solutions Grant — pre-scoped farming solutions and equipment
• Technology Upscaling — commercial-scale systems and pre/post-harvest facilities
• Industry Partnerships for Capability Transformation — multi-farm, industry-wide solutions
• Singapore Food Story R&D Programme — aquaculture, urban agriculture, future foods, food safety
• Commercial bank debt and Enterprise Singapore programmes for the balance of capex

Cold chain, logistics and the regional hub role

Singapore's function as a regional food logistics hub drives sustained cold-chain investment at Changi, port-adjacent zones and central distribution centres, largely independent of the local-production targets. Refrigeration, grading, packing and traceability suppliers see steadier demand here than in on-farm capex, and the same buyers often serve Malaysia, Indonesia and the wider ASEAN market from Singapore-based operations.

Market entry for international suppliers

Singapore is a compliance-heavy, reference-driven market and a natural bridgehead for Southeast Asia. The practical route is to partner with an SFA-licensed farm or a local integrator: the licensee holds the land lease, the farm licence and the grant relationship, while the international supplier provides structures, climate systems, RAS, irrigation or post-harvest equipment. Proposals should be priced with delivered, installed and commissioned scope, quantified performance guarantees, and local service cover — Singapore buyers discount equipment that cannot be maintained locally. Sovereign investors headquartered in Singapore also deploy into agri-food supply chains globally, which creates commercial channels well beyond the domestic farm footprint.

• Contract counterparty is normally the SFA-licensed farm, not a government agency
• Performance guarantees on yield, energy and water are expected, not optional
• Local service and spares cover is a short-listing criterion
• Lease-linked timelines (5-year PCP, 8-year PPO) set the delivery clock for suppliers

Procurement signals

• SAS Programme land awards at Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah converting into build packages on 20-year leases
• Shift from speculative vertical-farm capex to energy- and yield-verified CEA systems
• Recirculating aquaculture and hatchery capacity tied to the 30% protein target
• Standalone pre- and post-harvest facilities now explicitly grant-supported under ACT Fund 2
• Possible shared multi-farm facility creating demand for common utilities, chillers and headworks
• Cold-chain expansion at Changi and port-adjacent hubs, driven by the re-export role rather than local output

Financing landscape

• ACT Fund 2 — S$70M tranche over 5 years, SFA-licensed farms only, open to 31 March 2031
• Productivity Solutions Grant (agri-food) for pre-scoped equipment and solutions
• Technology Upscaling support for commercial-scale production and pre/post-harvest facilities
• Industry Partnerships for Capability Transformation Grant for multi-farm solutions
• Singapore Food Story R&D Programme for aquaculture, urban agriculture, future foods and food safety
• Enterprise Singapore innovation and internationalisation programmes
• Commercial bank facilities and equipment leasing for the non-grant share of capex
• Export credit agency cover from the equipment source country on imported European or Israeli technology

Questions decision-makers ask

Direct answers on procurement, financing and market entry in Singapore.

Is Singapore's 30 by 30 target still in force?

No. In November 2025 Singapore replaced 30 by 30 with Singapore Food Story 2, which sets category-specific goals: local farms are to build the capability and capacity to supply 20% of fibre consumption and 30% of protein consumption by 2035. Grow Local is now one of four pillars alongside Diversify Imports, Stockpile and Global Partnerships.

What are Singapore's current food production targets?

20% of local fibre consumption (leafy and fruited vegetables, bean sprouts and mushrooms) and 30% of local protein consumption (eggs and seafood) by 2035. The 2024 baselines were roughly 8% for fibre and 26% for protein.

How much of Singapore's food is imported?

More than 90%, sourced from over 180 countries and regions as of 2025 — up from around 140 two decades earlier. Import diversification, not local production, is the primary resilience mechanism.

How does a farm obtain land in Singapore?

Through SFA's Singapore Agri-Space Sales (SAS) Programme, an annual public tender. The 2026 round offered two vegetable-farming parcels, ST28I at Sungei Tengah and LCK 218 at Lim Chu Kang, on 20-year leases. Bids are assessed on production capability, track record, farming experience, innovation and business sustainability.

What changed in SFA's farm lease framework?

The Project Completion Period was extended from three to five years, the timeline to meet declared Potential Production Output was extended from five to eight years, and farms may apply to diversify into other key food types to meet their PPO on a 1:1 tonnage basis, subject to SFA approval.

What is the ACT Fund 2 and who can apply?

The Agri-Food Cluster Transformation Fund 2 is SFA's co-funding scheme for SFA-licensed local farms, extended with a new tranche of S$70 million over five years and open for applications until 31 March 2031. It covers Capability Upgrading, Technology Upscaling and Industry Partnerships for Capability Transformation. International suppliers cannot apply directly — they supply into a grant-funded farm project.

Can an international greenhouse or aquaculture supplier be paid from a Singapore grant?

Indirectly. The SFA-licensed farm is the grant recipient and the contracting party; approved equipment and installation costs form part of its claim. Suppliers should quote delivered, installed and commissioned scope with clear line items so the farm can evidence eligible costs.

What financing sits alongside the grants?

Commercial bank facilities and equipment leasing for the non-grant capex share, Enterprise Singapore programmes, the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme for research-stage work, and export credit agency cover from the equipment source country on imported European or Israeli technology.

Why did several Singapore vertical farms fail, and what does that mean for new projects?

High energy and land costs against modest wholesale vegetable prices left many facilities dependent on grants to cover operating costs. Lenders and assessors now expect demonstrated yield per square metre, energy cost per kilogram and a contracted offtake route before funding a new facility.

Which certifications matter for a Singapore agri-food project?

The Clean & Green Standard and Singapore Good Agricultural Practice or Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP/GAqP) certification. They support grant claims, retail listings and the Singapore Fresh Produce logo, and consultancy or certification costs can themselves be covered under Capability Upgrading.

How should an international supplier enter the Singapore market?

Partner with an SFA-licensed farm or a local integrator that holds the land lease, farm licence and grant relationship. Provide performance guarantees on yield, energy and water, and demonstrate local service and spares cover — buyers discount equipment that cannot be maintained in-country.

Related project components

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