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The Green-preneur Hawker
Ng's delight at his next step in farming quickly turned to dismay.
“When I went there it was … wild grass, not organised, very messy” recalls the urbanite who had no idea of crop farming.
Fortunately, SIngapore's urbanisation plans which saw villagers and farmers being rehoused in modern highrises, led Ng to meet one of his neighbours who was a commercial farmer back in the sixties.
Through a series of trial and error, the entrepreneur sprouted into an accomplished sustainable farmer.
“I learnt from him, I took his advice, and from there I evolved.
“All local leafy vegetables I can grow ... cai xin, kai lan, spinach, lettuce… I can grow all sorts of vegetables,” he adds with a laugh.
Sowing a green business
Initially, Ng’s crops grown in the community garden and along his corridor met the needs for the food sold at his hawker stall. But soon, his supplies just couldn’t keep up with demand.
Ng was also fully aware that the community garden was not a licensed farm, and that was when Ng decided to go big, leasing some land in Neo Tiew on the northern tip of Singapore.
Derrick Ng (right) with his father at their hawker stall in Tampines, Singapore