Requirements to Start a Farm in Singapore

Requirements to Start a Farm in Singapore | Singapore Government Singapore Food Agency

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Step 1: Secure premises for your farm

You can tender for farm land that has been set aside by SFA for local farms. For a list of tenders, see Land Tenders for Food Farming.

Step 2: Engage a professional to help you

Engage a Qualified Person (QP) / Naval Architect who is familiar with and understands farm development or related projects, as well as the regulatory requirements. They can:

help you to translate your farm plan into drawings for endorsement by SFA and other relevant agencies
advise you on regulatory requirements and ensure your farm plan is compliant with the requirements of the relevant agencies.

Step 3: Prepare the farm plan

Prepare your farm plan and the required documents required with the help of a QP/Naval Architect. The submission should include the following documents:

authorisation letter from the farm owner to appoint a QP/ Naval Architect to represent the farm owner in seeking clearances from relevant agencies
justification for proposed works
site plan
section plans
elevation plans
floor plan (for buildings or sheltered structures)
roof plan (for buildings or sheltered structures)
schedule for proposed works

Step 4: Submit your farm plan for landowner’s consent

Allocate 20-30 minutes to log into CORENET to submit your farm plan.

Please check your submission carefully. If there are subsequent amendments to the farm plan, the revised plans will still need to be submitted by a QP/ Naval Architect to the relevant agencies.

Step 5: SFA reviews your submission

SFA will take 2 weeks to assess and process your submission. The timeline may be extended in the event of incomplete submissions or clarifications required by SFA. You will be notified of the outcome via CORENET.

Step 6: Obtain clearance from other agencies

Once SFA has endorsed your plan, your QP / Naval Architect can proceed to seek clearance from the relevant agencies.

Visitor amenities for agri-land farms

Given the limited land for agriculture and aquaculture use, there is a need to maximise the productivity of our farms to strengthen our food security.

Farms are required to use at least 90% of the farm area for production and production-related uses. Visitor amenities are considered an ancillary use (e.g. office, carpark, and workers’ quarters) and must be capped within 10% of the farm area.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has guidelines for farm operators interested in including visitor amenities in farms, as follows:

Type of Use	Maximum allowable Gross Floor Area (GFA)
Restaurant, showroom, shop for sale of farm and non-farm products e.g. souvenirs	200 sqm
Visitor centre for use as a museum or education centre to showcase farm-related exhibits	200 sqm

If you would like to include visitor amenities on your farm, you will need to submit:

development plans for the proposed visitor amenities
business proposals

The plans must be cleared with URA and other relevant agencies. A Land Betterment Charge will be levied for the visitor amenities, if applicable.

Visitor amenities for sea-based fish culture farms

As sea space is limited, only farming activities are permitted. Fish culture farms are not allowed to host non-farming activities, such as commercial tours and fishing trips.

Step 7: Apply for a farm licence

You can now apply for a farm licence. For details, see Application Process & Fees for Licence for Farming.

Requirements to Start a Farm in Singapore

What is a farm?

Singapore Food Agency

What are the requirements to start land-based farms?

Other resources for land-based farms

What are the requirements to start sea-based farms?

Other resources for sea-based fish culture farms

What requirements must I satisfy before applying for a farm licence?

How do I start up a farm?

Last Updated 22 May 2026