Over the next 15 months, Singrow will increase its footprint in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Middle East, beyond its current presence in China, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Singrow, announced its plans to expand across and beyond Asia and the launch of its consumer concept brand Blooom. Over the next 15 months, according to its press release, the company will be increasing its partner farm footprint to the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Middle East, beyond its current presence in China, Indonesia, and Singapore. The expansion is expected to boost the production capabilities of climate-agnostic produce using Singrow’s patented agriculture technology five-fold. Further, the launch of its Blooom consumer concept brand ensures that the crops grown by partner farms reach consumers who seek produce superior in flavor, and better in quality, and are grown through sustainable, energy-efficient farming methods.
The company mentioned that its ‘growth plans come at a time when conversations about food security are coming to the fore‘. Indeed, the company argues that “the research done in recent months proves that climate change can reduce global yields by up to 30 percent by 2050 while, during the same period, it will need to increase by 70%”.
“Farmers today are facing a bigger challenge than ever before – unpredictable weather conditions such as drought or flash floods are affecting crop yields and in the long run, their livelihood. At the same time, demand for food continues to increase as the world population grows to 10 billion by 2050. By introducing our proprietary seedlings and patented growth protocols, Singrow is enabling our partner farms to expand their crop variety and grow produce that is superior in both taste and quality, and to do so more efficiently and with a higher yield. This not only has a positive impact on the farmers’ livelihoods, but it also benefits the larger community as consumers can now have access to great quality produce,” said Dr Bao Shengjie, CEO and Chief Scientist at Singrow.
Singrow provides its proprietary agricultural technology platform, Singrow Smart Farm, to partner farms that will be able to produce its climate-agnostic crops at scale. By combining proprietary crop varieties developed under Singrow Smart Farm together with the agri-tech’s patented farming protocol termed the Fast Cultivation Method, farmers can now grow to produce in varying climates and with shorter harvesting cycles. An example is Singrow’s varieties of seasonal-bearing strawberries that can be grown at a temperature between 20 to 28 degree Celsius as opposed to the usual 4 to 16 degrees Celsius. Additionally, partner farms would be able to produce approximately 20 times more yield and reduce the cultivation time of strawberries by approximately 30 percent when compared to a conventional strawberry farm of the same size and be 40 percent more energy-efficient when compared to other indoor vertical farms.
Other climate-agnostic crop varieties developed by Singrow include rice, cherry tomato, blueberries, kale, choy sum and kailan, and the firm is looking to expand the technology to other produce. With these crop varieties, cutting-edge plant physiology technology like the Fast Cultivation Method and end-to-end agri-tech solutions such as Singrow Smart Farm, Singrow’s partner farms will be able to grow crops outside of their traditional climate conditions and generate more yields in the shorter time period, yet remain energy efficient and sustainable, and not add further environmental stress to the agricultural land.
In addition to enabling farms, Singrow also believes strongly in the role of businesses and consumers in building a more resilient food future. Taking Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ plan as an example, ensuring consumers can identify and have access to local produce is part of its roll-out. Hence, as Singrow plans its expansion in the region, it is also forming strategic partnerships with like-minded and forward-thinking companies such as RSP Architects to provide access to its sustainable produce in new and innovative ways.
Today, Singrow establishes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RSP Architects, the minds behind award-winning buildings such as Jewel Changi Airport and Funan, a retail mall with an urban rooftop farm in Singapore. This collaboration opens new doors for urban farming within commercial spaces in Singapore and China and encourages restaurants to adopt a farm-to-table approach, reducing their overseas produce imports. Singrow and RSP Architects will jointly develop benchmark projects to showcase how new agriculture solutions can benefit building design as well as new retail businesses.
Mr Beh Swee Chiew, Managing Director of RSP Singapore, said, “Collaborating with Singrow is a natural decision for RSP as sustainability is a key factor in our design principle, and we are always looking to incorporate green elements in our projects. Through this partnership with Singrow, RSP is able to further our capabilities in sustainability and contribute towards Singapore’s food security efforts of ‘30 by 30’.”
Ms Shi Lu, Managing Director of RSP China, shares, “The introduction and installation of Singrow’s vertical farms within buildings will provide occupants and visitors with a unique and holistic first-hand experience with nature within an urban setting. In line with China’s urban renewal, rural revitalisation projects and carbon reduction objectives, the farm-to-table practice has the potential to reach a broader market and bring about wide social effects.”
Singrow also announced the launch of its consumer concept brand, Blooom, which was conceptualised for discerning consumers looking for high-quality, superior-tasting produce that is grown in sustainable ways. As part of the announcement, Blooom will be introducing its e-commerce platform, launched after its recent acquisition of online grocer Fresh4All. With the e-commerce platform, Fresh4All’s current user base will be able to purchase sustainable crops grown using Singrow’s patented precision agriculture technology, delivered to their doorsteps. It will also provide Singrow’s partner farms with access to a plug-and-play e-commerce platform to reach consumers and create a closed-loop agriculture ecosystem that benefits farmers, retailers and end consumers.
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