In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing

choongyong.koh — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 02:37:34 -0000

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The Straits Times 25 Aug 06
In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing
by Tan Hui Yee

LAWYER Kertar Singh has defended white collar criminals, a rapist and drug offenders in court, but could face his biggest challenge yet later this year in a showdown of a different sort.

He could he squaring off with would-be entrepreneurs over new parcels of Kranji farmland to be up for tender soon. The three plots, ranging from 1.2ha to 5ha each, will be the first released by the Government since it relaxed guidelines, allowing farms to develop recreational and commercial facilities.

It has been three years since the Government made new farmland available. Within limits, the eventual owners of the three plots can combine farming with farmstays, spas, art studios and even corporate retreats, said the Singapore Land Authority. Bidders can submit other ideas too.

This promises to generate more buzz in the Kranji area, which increased in popularity as a leisure spot after a group of farmers there banded together last year to promote it.

Mr Singh, 58, is all enthused and has his eye on one of the plots. He wants to set up a farmhouse with goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks, and wants children to visit and become acquainted with nature. It may have an eatery too, serving organic produce for the health-conscious. He has gathered four like-minded friends to join him in the project.

'We were kampung boys. We want to go back to kampung life,' said the former policeman, who grew up in Kampung Soopoo in the Kallang area. He got the idea to start a farm while on a family trip to India about 20 years ago, when he observed his only son's excitement at seeing a hen laying eggs. 'I thought, hey, our children are not so close to nature. They don't know how eggs hatch,' he said.

Before his farm dream comes true, however, Mr Singh and his partners will have to fend off competition. A handful of non-farmers also want to run farming-cum-recreational outfits in this rustic north-western corner of Singapore.

They include businessman Jack Chin, 39, who owns several food outlets and is keen to start an Australian-style eatery set in farm surroundings.

Another, Mr K.C. Tan, 33, is a manager in an engineering firm and wants to expand his arowana-breeding sideline. Mr Tan, who used to live on a pig farm in Lim Chu Kang, wants to breed lobsters and, maybe, have a seafood restaurant too. They were partly inspired by recent developments in this 860ha area, which is home to 114 farms.

In January last year, the Government relaxed guidelines, allowing farms to provide guest accommodation, visitor centres, cafes and retail outlets. At about the same time, nine farms and a pottery were registered as the Kranji Countryside Association.

Its high-profile carnivals during the Chinese New Year and Christmas periods attracted thousands of visitors, many of whom were unaware that Singapore had countryside.

The association, which added two more members recently, worked at making the countryside more accessible to those without cars. It lobbied bus operator SMRT Corporation to extended its bus service 925 to include some farm stops. The service, which previously ran past the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sundays and public holidays, began stopping at farms from the middle of last year.

Still, visiting the farms on weekdays remained tough. So the farmers pitched in to start an hourly bus service from Kranji MRT Station to nine farms in the area. The Kranji Express charges adults $2 for a round-trip.

So far, those who venture to the area are mostly retirees, families and the occasional tourist. Schools and government agencies also organise trips there.

Soon, the Land Transport Authority says, direction signs to the Kranji Countryside will be put up along major roads near the area. 'Kranji Countryside' will also appear as a place name in street directories.

For farmer Kenny Eng, 32, secretary of the association, it has been a long journey. His family-run landscaping company, the Nyee Phoe Group, set up a bistro this year, the second one in the area after organic farm Bollywood Veggies started its outlet, Poison Ivy. Nyee Phoe has also laid the groundwork for the area's first kampung-style chalets, expected to be up by next year.

The three new farmland plots could add competition, but Mr Eng says the fact that the authorities are allowing them for farming and recreational facilities proves the enormous potential in Singapore's countryside.

'We've done quite a fair bit to convince people to come here, to show them that it's not a scary place. The dream is becoming a reality,' he told The Straits Times.

But the farmers have to contend with Singaporeans who expect city amenities in the countryside, and complain when it is more rustic than they would like.

As bus driver Larry Lim - de facto guide to those who hop onto the Kranji Express - puts it: 'Some people come here and say there is nothing to see. They also don't like to wait around. But you are not supposed to rush through it.'

Visitors can learn about the life cycle of bullfrogs, watch goats being milked, pick up indoor landscaping items, and buy organic fruit and vegetables direct from the growers. Most of the farms are open from 9am to 5pm, and are busiest at the weekend.

Mr Eng hopes those who visit will buy farm produce, because the countryside needs their support. 'Come here to buy, come here to shop, and don't treat us like Bishan Park,' he said. 'Don't just come here, throw rubbish, use the toilet, and expect us to clean up after you.'

The growing interest in the countryside has even led people like Ms Karen Goh, 27, to do a stint working on a farm. 'I thought it would be nice to work in a different place, and it's rare to get this opportunity in Singapore,' said the former teacher, who spent a week toiling at Bollywood Veggies, which is run by former chief of Netball Singapore, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim.

'I've seen dragonflies, which I haven't seen for a long time. And the different kinds of vegetables... I didn't know they came from plants which look like that.'

Getting there: Visit www.kranjicountryside.com for more details of bus schedule and opening hours of individual farms.

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In S'pore's countryside, a buzz is brewing