Food and tech intertwined: Chong says Greenphyto’s vertical farm represents a 14-year vision come to life. — The Straits Times
Gleaming structures rise over 23m above ground and leaves peek out of several racks in the world’s tallest indoor vertical farm that was unveiled here on Jan 7.
Greenphyto, located in the Jurong West industrial area, is a 14-year vision in the making.
A 200g pack of Greenphyto’s kailan costs US$3.95 (RM16).
A 100g pack of leaf lettuce, marketed as Mambo Lettuce, costs US$3.20 (RM13).
The farm also produces Japanese chye sim, baby spinach and arugula, among other greens.
The US$80mil (RM325mil) five-storey building occupies 2ha of land and can produce 2,000 tonnes of greens a year at full capacity. Production is currently at 200 tonnes.
With 69 patents behind innovations that help to optimise crop growth and minimise costs, the farm is powered by AI, robotics and automation technologies.
The official opening of the farm, which was attended by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, comes at a time when the prospects of some vertical farms, here and globally, have been looking grim.
The challenges affecting high-tech vertical farms include high capital and energy costs, supply chain breakdowns following the Covid-19 pandemic, and weakened investor confidence.
On what makes Greenphyto confident that it can buck the trend, its founder, Susan Chong, said: “(The farm closures) made me more determined to make it happen and do it differently, and learn from the issues faced by other farms on what is not working, and to make sure that we are well covered.”
Her focus is on using technology and innovations as an enabler to make the vegetables cost-efficient and of better quality than imports.
“Farms in the US, for example, are very focused on the tech. At the end of the day, your produce is your product. If you don’t have good-quality produce, what good is your tech?” she said.
High energy costs have been hurting the profitability of indoor farms, but Greenphyto managed to leverage its research and development to reduce its energy use by 30%.
To avoid wasting harvests, the farm works on a make-to-order basis, where vegetables are grown only after orders are secured by retailers.
“In business, no customer will give you any guarantee or any assurance, but you have to make it happen by producing good quality produce, and producing something that the consumers want,” said Chong.
The company has set up offices in Malaysia and the Netherlands to sell its novel farming system globally. It is also looking to export its vegetables to Malaysia. — The Straits Times/ANN
