padi growing in singapore?

now, you do not have to travel across the causeway to see padi being grown. it is not just a few sample plants grown on a small plot of land like the one at fort canning park but a big field of it which has attracted lots of birds to feed on the stalks of maturing padi.

i did a self-conducted tour of d'kranji farm resort at neo tiew lane 2. what i like about most farms in the kranji/lim chu kang area is that most of the owners welcome visitors and they let you explore the farm on your own, unhindered. they do not follow you around or restrict you from venturing into certain sections so long as you do not intrude into their living space.

the 5-hectare d'kranji farm resort means that you have a lot of room to move around. apart from a seafood restaurant, beer garden, spa and some retail outlets, the main attraction to me is the 21 plots of farming land. there are the usual fruit and vegetable crops like dragon fruit, guava, kedongdong, soursop, mango, banana, jack fruit, sweet potato, sugar-cane, soya bean and many others.

however, i was particularly attracted to a section where lots of corn are grown. as i was approaching that area, a very big flock of small birds took off and flew around before settling on some stalk-like plants. as i got nearer, i found that the field was actually flooded; that was when i realised that it was a field of padi plants. the birds were attracted by the ripening padi.

i also found out that d'kranji farm resort has 19 farm-stay villas and two 1000 sq m fields, one set aside for growing corn and the other, for padi.

work is still being carried out to add more facilities and attractions to the place. when it is fully completed, it should be attracting more people to the kranji countryside.

(look like they are burung pipit but i am not sure. like i said earlier i am not serious bird watcher, much less an ornithologist.)

this small patch of padi at fort canning park's spice garden