ISKANDAR PUTERI: Digital agri-food company Farmbyte, part of the state-owned Johor Corporation, and a Singaporean agritech firm have launched the biggest indoor vertical farm in Malaysia.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the RM40mil joint venture is a collaboration under the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
“The project, formalised in April 2023, is a showcase of the strong and strategic partnership between Malaysia and Singapore in the area of food resilience.
“The collaboration between FarmByte and Singapore’s Archisen marks a pioneering initiative under the JS-SEZ, and it will set an ecosystem to strengthen food security in both countries,” he said after launching the indoor farm here on Monday (July 7).
He added that the 4,830 sqm (52,000 sq ft) indoor farm was also a clear demonstration that agriculture today was no longer constrained by land, climate or seasonality alone.
“Through controlled-environment agriculture, smart systems and cutting-edge vertical farming technologies, we are proving that Johor’s food production can be sustainable, resilient and scalable,” he said.
With an estimated annual output of 306,000 kg of fresh produce, the farm is a strategic asset supporting Malaysia’s National Food Security Policy Action Plan and Singapore’s ‘30 by 30’ food resilience goal.
