PLANTX unveils Tokyo pilot for modular plant factory technology
Sealed growing units allow light, air and water to be managed separately as the firm targets higher-value crops and lower production costs.
- PLANTX has launched a pilot demonstration site in Tokyo for its new modular plant factory technology.
- The system features stacked, sealed modules that allow for independent and precise control of light, air, and water conditions for each unit.
- This modular approach enables growers to manage crop qualities like nutritional value and sugar content to produce higher-value produce.
- The project is backed by 1.2 billion yen in Japanese government subsidies as part of a national priority to invest in food technology.
Japan’s push to place food technology among its priority investment fields has gained a new showcase after PLANTX Corp. opened a Tokyo demonstration site for a modular plant factory system backed by government support.
The Japanese agricultural technology company says the system is the world’s first modular technology able to control water temperature and humidity with precision.
The facility was opened on Wednesday (July 8).
Rather than operating as one large controlled space, the plant factory is built around stacked, sealed units.
Each module can be managed separately, allowing light, air and water conditions to be adjusted independently.
PLANTX says this approach can help growers manage crop qualities such as nutritional value and sugar content, supporting the production of higher-value vegetables and fruit.
“There is no doubt that it will be an essential technology in the future,” Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki said at the opening ceremony.
Food technology, including plant factories, is one of 17 priority areas for public and private investment under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration.
PLANTX has received 1.2 billion yen in government subsidies.
The company plans to push technologies aimed at lowering labour costs through automation, while also reducing the use of electricity, water and fertiliser.
“Needs for automation are higher overseas than in Japan,” PLANTX CEO Kosuke Yamada told reporters.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
