Welcome to Yili Farm
First established in 1996 by Alan Toh, Yili Farm has been feeding Singapore with the freshest of vegetables for over two decades. Since its inception, the farm has thrived and innovated, integrating modern agricultural technology and adopting Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) to produce its bounty of round spinach, sharp spinach, cai xin, xiao bai cai and kang kong.
A family-run business, Yili Farm is in the process of handing over the torch to the second generation, with Alan’s children, Ying Ying and Zheng Jie, being groomed to lead the farm’s operations. The farm produces approximately 680 tonnes of vegetables annually and has been a GAP certified farm since 2004.
Impossible produce made possible
Second-generation farmer Zheng Jie shares his insights into the intricacies, challenges and triumphs of farming in Singapore.
A farm for the future
With a new six-hectare farm on the horizon, Zheng Jie and his family have their hands full with the labour- intensive process of developing the land.
“We’ll have three plots of land at the new farm, and developing it is really hard work,” Zheng Jie shares. “We have to clear the grass, replace the existing soil with top-quality soil that’s ideal for vegetable farming and build the greenhouses.”
Harvesting the fruits of one's labour
While it may be rewarding to harvest the fruits of one’s labour, it also happens to be the most labour-intensive stage of vegetable farming. Harvesting takes up nearly half of the manpower used on the farm.
“Harvesting is still hands on for us—there isn’t any viable technology to automate the process,” Zheng Jie explains. “We have that technology for apple harvesting, but not for leafy vegetables. We ensure best practices for harvesting and handling by using clean equipment and rapid cooling technology, so that our produce is of the freshest, highest quality.”
Saving time and space with transplanting
While it may be rewarding to harvest the fruits of one’s labour, it also happens to be the most labour-intensive stage of vegetable farming. Harvesting takes up nearly half of the manpower used on the farm.
“Harvesting is still hands on for us—there isn’t any viable technology to automate the process,” Zheng Jie explains. “We have that technology for apple harvesting, but not for leafy vegetables. We ensure best practices for harvesting and handling by using clean equipment and rapid cooling technology, so that our produce is of the freshest, highest quality.”
Hybrid farming and modern technology
As a hybrid operation, Yili Farm employs a slew of technology to streamline processes and save on manpower, including a packing machine to help automate the process, and farm documentation to ensure produce traceability.
“The latest technology we’ve tapped on is the Internet of Things,” Zheng Jie explains. “We’ve worked with a developer to create an app, allowing us to control the infrastructure, such as the opening and closing of the retractable roof and shading system of our greenhouses based on environmental monitoring via sensors.”
Fascinating farm facts
Modern day farming is a fascinating profession. Here are some fascinating factoids to chew on!
Talk about a vegetable fit for royalty—spinach was the favourite vegetable of Catherine de Medici, the queen of France from 1547 to 1559.
The first historical mention of kang kong (also known as water spinach) was by the Chinese botanist Ji Han, who was born in 263 A.D.
Xiao bai cai is known by many other names, including bak choy, Chinese mustard, and spoon cabbage.
Feast for SG’s food security
Sample the family’s generations of hard work by placing an order on their website, checking out the supermarket aisles at NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong or visiting online platforms like Amazon Fresh, RedMart and FairPrice Online.
Keep an eye out for the two-star SG GAP certified badge to sample Yili Farm’s produce proudly grown and harvested on Singapore soil.
