LIVESTOCK FARMING INDUSTRY IN PUNGGOL (Particulars)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for National Development and Communications (a) if he will elaborate on the proposed livestock farming industry on the lands acquired in Punggol; (b) if he will indicate the number of applications from both farmers and other enterprises to set up such industry; (c) when such industry will be set up and become both operational and productive; (d) how many poultry farmers in the area have been affected by the scheme; how many of them have been allowed to remain and continue such farming activity and under what terms; and whether he will consider making available bigger land areas to those poultry farmers to expand their poultry farming; and (e) how many families are to be resettled and what is the total sum of ex gratia payments paid out so far.

The Minister of State for National Development (Dr Tan Eng Liang) (for the Minister for National Development and Communications): Mr Speaker, Sir, in order to reduce pollution from pig waste, it was decided to resettle pig farms from the Kranji/Pandan catchment to non-catchment areas. For this purpose:-

599 hectares in Punggol/Serangoon

253 hectares in Jalan Kayu and

184 hectares in Tampines have been acquired.

The Punggol/Serangoon area has been designated for intensive pig farming. It is the intention to resettle 640 large pig farms from Kranji to this area. They keep a total of 180,000 pigs or 84% of the total pig population in Kranji. So far, 214 of them have applied for land at Punggol and 67 have been allocated land there.

Development of 254 hectares for pig farming in the Lorong Buang Kok area is almost completed and resettlement of farmers from Kranji has begun. Sixty-live hectares have been earmarked for large commercial pig farms. This will offset any short fall in pig production that may result from the resettlement exercise.

Twenty-five investors have applied for commercial lots, nine of whom have been approved.

Construction of farm holdings has begun and the pig farms are expected to be operational by mid-1976. Further allocations of resettlement lands will be made as and when the newly developed areas are ready to take in farmers.

Ninety-one poultry farms in Punggol are affected by the development of the area for intensive pig farming. Sixty-two of them, keeping a total of 406,594 poultry, are allowed to remain subject to their maximising the use of the land for farming activities. They will not be given more land to expand poultry keeping, as the priority for land use there is for pig rearing. They will be allowed, however, to keep pigs in addition to rearing poultry.

Two hundred and ninety-one families including 45 farmers have to move from the area under development. The total amount of ex gratia compensation paid out so far is $1.8 million. For the remaining areas census survey has yet to be carried out and, therefore, no details of the resettlement cases are available.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am sure the Hon. Senior Minister of State for National Development will not disagree with me that eggs and poultry are a basic necessity of the people of Singapore. Would he not then consider encouraging the expansion and development of poultry farming when the opportunity presents itself? In putting my supplementary question I have taken into consideration the second last part of his answer that no more land will be given.

Dr Tan Eng Liang: Sir, Singapore at the moment is self-sufficient in poultry and eggs. In my answer I have indicated that 62 poultry farms are allowed to remain and they are encouraged to maximise the use of their land. In this respect they are expected to increase their production of poultry, and they should not use their land for non-farming purposes. The Primary Production Department officials will be available to advise and assist existing farmers on maximising the use of their land for farming.

The plots of land allocated to the existing farmers are sufficient, according to the statistics that have been surveyed, to allow them to expand their existing poultry activities. In fact, we will encourage them, if they choose to, to go into pig farming on the existing land. But if they intend to go beyond the small scale into commercial pig rearing, they will have to apply for additional lots outside their present lots.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin (Jalan Kayu): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am just wondering whether the Senior Minister of State could inform the House how permanent would the areas in Jalan Kayu and Punggol be acquired as an agricultural area.

Dr Tan Eng Liang: Sir, according to the Master Plan, which is reasonably stable, the area designated is for agriculture, in particular, poultry and intensive pig farming. But what the future will be - whether the Master Plan will suffice for five or 10 years - is subject to periodical reviews every five years. As we can see at the moment there is no likelihood of an alternative in the small island of Singapore.

Mr J. F. Conceicao (Katong): As permanent as possible!