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[Editor's note, June 5 6:06 pm: A previous version of the article incorrectly stated that the land would be returned to SLA. The article has since been corrected.]
Jane Lee, who runs salad shop Sumo Salad at Holland Village, shared a poignant Facebook post on June 4 about her vegetable supplier and importer.
Lee shared that her supplier, who she identified as Mr Oh from the Oh Chin Huat Hydroponics Farm, was ceasing operations at the end of June.
Besides keeping the price of vegetables that he supplies low, Lee also recounted the "top-notch" service that Oh provided.
Oh had once gone the extra mile to deliver vegetables to Lee's salad shop when they were short of vegetables at the last minute.
Photo via Jane Lee's Facebook post
Ceasing operations
Lee shared that Oh had been working very hard during the circuit breaker period to meet local demand, which had increased due to panic buying.
She noted that the owner had lost weight as well.
Oh would be up as early as 3am to start work, only to end work late at night with his team, which comprises of mostly his family members and a few foreign workers.
Despite the gruelling schedule, Oh told Lee that he felt that it was a "privilege to be able to serve the nation during tough times like this".
Sadly, the hydroponic farm will cease operations at the end of the month as the government is slated to take back the land to build housing.
Oh himself is retiring and his family does not wish to continue the farming business.
Photo via Jane Lee's Facebook post
Struggling with the cost of reinstating land
However, Oh is troubled by the cost of reinstating the land.
The land which the farm is on needs to be cleared up and replanted with certain types of grass so as to meet the requirements of the respective authorities.
Oh doesn't have enough savings to carry out the reinstatement of the land, which he claims cost nearly S$500,000, according to a few contractors he had spoken to.
Lee said that she will write to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for a more feasible solution to Oh's issue on his behalf, and asked for anyone to share the contacts of contractors who are able to provide land reinstatement and re-turfing services at a reasonable price.
Lee even joked that Oh could just leave his farm as it was, but he replied:
"Cannot lah. Later my grandfather come find me, I can die, but I can't ruin the reputation of this farm which has been passed down through three generations."
Lee said that this was a testament to Oh's integrity.
Photo via Jane Lee's Facebook post
Top photo via Jane Lee's Facebook post