Plantx, an agritech startup based in Tokyo, has opened a pilot facility for fully sealed vertical-farming systems.
The facility, located in the capital¡¯s Koto Ward, is equipped with fully sealed modules where the environment for cultivation ¡ª including water temperature and humidity ¡ª can be controlled precisely. It is the world¡¯s first such system, according to the firm.
¡°This will definitely become an essential technology in the future,¡± agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki said during the facility¡¯s opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Unlike other vertical-farming facilities that require management of a large space, Plantx¡¯s facility has a number of sealed units stacked on top of each other. Light, air and water are controlled in each of the units separately.
This allows the system to precisely control the nutritional values and sugar content of agricultural products, making it possible to produce high value-added vegetables and fruits.
Plantx President Kosuke Yamada told reporters, ¡°The need for automation is even higher overseas than in Japan.¡±
The company plans to use the facility to conduct tests on automation that would lead to reducing personnel costs, as well as on technologies to reduce consumption of electricity, water and fertilizers.
The food-technology sector, including vertical farming, is one of the 17 key strategic areas for private and public investments prioritized by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration.
Plantex has received a grant of ?1.2 billion ($7.4 million) from the government.
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