Meet our FM TIP alumna, Ng Shan Shan!

From Limited Resources to Infinite Possibilities

Due to limited land in Hong Kong, fresh produce has long been supplied from farms in China. Every day, vast quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables are delivered to Hong Kong’s markets.

Ng Shan Shan’s family has been operating farms in China, supplying Hong Kong. The business meant so much to her that she decided early on to take over the family business after her graduation. “We’ve been running everything ourselves since my parents’ generation. I grew up with a solid understanding of the technology, product quality, market, and customer base.

“Though the business is stable,” she says, “the market demand is constantly changing. So, I’m always learning the direction of the market and looking for new opportunities.” She hopes to one day to bring her produce to more parts of Asia.

 

Seizing Opportunities to Meet Challenges

Ng Shan Shan’s first exposure to NTU’s entrepreneurship programme was surprising to her. “There’s actually a degree in entrepreneurship?” she asked. Even though she already had a business degree from Canada, the courses there never taught her how to become an entrepreneur. She decided to take on the FlexiMasters in Technopreneurship and Innovation Programme, seeing its value. “I can communicate with mentors and peers from different industry backgrounds and gain relevant insights into founding companies and financing, which will be helpful for business expansion in the future,” she said.

In her very first week, she got a huge surprise. After hearing about her business plan to look for opportunities in agriculture, the class presented Singapore’s 30 by 30 Plan to produce 30% per cent of the country’s nutritional needs from locally grown produce by 2030. In addition, Singapore was similarly land scarce as Hong Kong.

Shan Shan was overjoyed, “Is this serious? This is a great fit for me, and I want to be in that business.” She wanted to seize this opportunity to learn more about Singapore’s plans and the emerging new food technologies, with a view to possibly expanding into this market and applying the learnings in China.

 

Looking to the Future and Embracing Change

Initially, Shan Shan believed that conventional farming—having crops grown from natural sources—would always outperform artificially grown crops in both quality and quantity. Her time on the course completely changed her mind. The communication and sharing between her mentor and peers not only deepened her understanding of innovation and enterprise but also inspired her to take her enterprise in a new direction; to sustain traditional agriculture with hydroponic cultivation. She was convinced that in the decades ahead, traditional agriculture would face far more severe issues of land and water shortages and rising temperatures. Hydroponics was a possible way forward.

“Cultivation is not just about the growing of vegetables. We also need new technology to improve upon traditional practices. For example, sunlight can be replaced by artificial lamps giving off different levels of heat, and the land shortage is made up by building upright spaces; water circulation systems reduce water consumption, and so on.

During her time in the FlexiMasters TIP and, subsequently, the MSc TIP, Shan Shan observed the market and sought opportunities to cooperate with governmental and local agencies as well as entrepreneurs in the startup ecosystem. She hopes to achieve her goals by combining her professional skills and industry experience with Singapore’s national policies.

“Singapore has Asian characteristics as well as an international outlook, bringing talent and entrepreneurs from around the world. Singapore’s goal of becoming a green city aligns with my vision—using limited resources to make our living environment and the world a better place."