Singapore Government Recorded SANANBIO and VertiVegies Agreement
A 2019 Singapore government speech confirmed a historical SANANBIO–VertiVegies agreement; subsequent 2024 reporting said the planned farm was not completed.
According to an official speech published by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry on January 15, 2019, local vertical farming company VertiVegies had signed a strategic and technical investment agreement with SANANBIO in July 2018.
The government speech placed the agreement in the context of Singapore’s efforts to develop agricultural technology and strengthen food resilience. It described a proposed 20,000-square-metre plant factory in Lim Chu Kang and noted that the companies had first met at a previous Indoor Ag-Con Asia event.
This primary government document offers a reliable historical record of a cross-border business agreement and the intended project scope at that time. It does not confirm that the proposed factory was subsequently built, commissioned or reached its planned output.
For businesses exploring international farm partnerships, the account shows the role of technology suppliers, local project companies and industry networking. Any article about later construction or operation would require a separate dated source.
Original source: https://www.mti.gov.sg/newsroom/speech-by-sms-koh-poh-koon--at-indoor-ag-con-asia-2019/
Editorial update (April 22, 2024): VerticalFarmDaily, citing The Straits Times, reported that the planned VertiVegies facility in Lim Chu Kang was not completed and the land was returned to the Singapore Food Agency in April 2022. The article attributed construction problems in part to difficulties involving joint-venture partner SANANBIO. The 2018 agreement must not be presented as a completed farm. Follow-up source: https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9619694/singapore-vertivegies-scraps-plan-to-construct-indoor-veggie-farms/
Original report: Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry · Source published: 2019-01-15
