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Straits Times, 7 Feb 05 Chalets and cafes set to sprout up among Kranji farms by Tan Hui Yee THE Kranji countryside is abuzz as a handful of farmers prepare to go beyond farming. Not only are more visitors making their way there - a five-day carnival held there last month drew close to 18,000 - construction work is also set to begin to provide accommodation and more eating places than the existing outlet for these people. At least one farmstay operation is expected to start in about two years, while another offering a health retreat is in the works. Three cafes are due to open by the end of this year. If these go down well, that once quiet north-western corner of the island with 114 farms is likely to get busier, as others get on the bandwagon. Till then, the Kranji farmers' attention is on landscaper Nyee Phoe Group, which has stuck its neck out by applying for approval from the authorities to have paying guests stay, in what would be possibly the first such facility here. The 2.2ha nursery in Neo Tiew Crescent decided to take the plunge to raise its profile and that of the surrounding farms and the countryside. Its business development manager, Mr Kenny Eng, said that it will put up four kampung-style chalets at an expected cost of $500,000, which will house up to 30 guests. Although details are still being mulled over, Mr Eng said guests could perhaps indulge in plant-based activities, such as wood-carving courses. He warned that the accommodation will not be elaborate. 'We're not doing a resort. This is just a place for people to stay in and experience the kampung life and be close to nature.' Guests will be expected to share bathrooms, and the rooms may not have air-conditioning. Nyee Phoe is waiting for the final go-ahead from the Urban Redevelopment Authority before starting work on its chalets. Meanwhile, it is looking for potential investors in the development. If all goes well, the farm expects to welcome its first overnight guests by 2007. Interest in such enterprises has burgeoned since the URA relaxed its restrictions on facilities like shops, restaurants and visitor accommodation at farms on Jan 3. Before that, approval was on a case-by-case basis, and only 10 of the 277 farms here, which grow mostly orchids and vegetables or rear ornamental fish, offer such diversions. Down the road, organic wheatgrass producer Kin Yan Agrotech is planning a farm- stay that is also a 'detox retreat', where visitors eat organic food, get massages and do a bit of yoga or taiji. It reckons it needs $400,000 to set this up, and is in touch with the Singapore Tourism Board to seek financial support. Its general manager, Mr Lim Seng Soo, and Mr Eng said the main problem with their plans is the amount of time left on their leases, which limits what they can invest in their farmstay operations. Farmland here is leased out for 20-year terms, and both companies have 12 years left. It does not help that having such facilities will mean higher rents for their sites, which would then be deemed to be 'commercial' - rather than 'agricultural' - operations. Both companies also intend to set up cafes this year. Kin Yan's will be able to seat about 80, and will offer its products, like wheatgrass bread, ice-cream and even cake, as well as herbal tea. Nyee Phoe's will serve up to 50. It is still deciding on its menu. A third farm, vegetable producer Aero-Green Technology, has the same idea. It is planning a 50-seat outdoor salad bar, where visitors can sample its array of lettuce and other vegetable produce as well as sandwiches. Hausmann International, which imports and distributes edible and ornamental fish, is watching the developments with interest. Its assistant manager, Mr Yeo Tze Siam, 24, said: 'If these farms succeed, we'll set up a seafood restaurant.' Links Farms at Kranji: factsheet for visitors Related articles on Re-creation in our wild places |
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