'Vegetable factory' boom in Japan
They have stable prices and do not require pesticide use. The Japanese climate causes abrupt changes in agriculture and in the prices of vegetables. Production sites tripled since 2011.
Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - They have stable prices, they do not "hide insects" even if they do not use pesticides and are supported by the government: in Japan vertical vegetable "factories" are a real boom.
Vegetables grown in aseptic environments have been developed by companies such as "Spread", a pioneer in the sector. In its plant in Kameoka, about 30 km from Kyoto, the company produces "hydroponics" - off the ground - four varieties of salad, arranged in rows on large shelves, in an environment with a fixed temperature of 25 ° and a humidity of 60%.
At the beginning, the production of "factory" vegetables met resistance from consumers, especially the elderly. Now, more and more people choose them, also to escape the sudden price changes in Japan, where the climate subject to phenomena like typhoons lead to sudden hikes in prices. For example, in December 2017 the cost of the salad rose by 70.5%, after an increase of 8% just the month before. Conversely, the price of factory-grown salad remained unchanged at 200 yen (1.5 euro) for 80 grams.
The factories have government support: They attract industrial activities, including new technologies that master the "know-how". Panasonic operates a vegetable factory in the north-eastern city of Fukushima, with the expectation that "global food needs will double in 2020 compared to 2009".
According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, today there are almost 200 production sites of this type in Japan, triple compared to 2011 and the highest number in all of Asia.
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17/10/2022 17:09
