Japanese high-tech farm business Spread has developed newtechnology for mass production of pesticide-free, high-quality strawberries in vertical farms using artificial lighting.
The technologies that have enabled indoor production include proprietary environmental control, stable indoor pollination and pesticide-free, clean cultivation.
Spread said it is considering bringing its strawberry vertical farms to Japan and overseas markets including North America, Europe and Asia. Spread will also work on product design and a vertically farmed strawberry brand.
Spread has previously developed automated vertical farms for lettuce which have been employed in markets across the globe and it applied this expertise to strawberry production to develop its new solution.
It used the precise control of temperature, humidity, light intensity, CO2 and other variables to stabilise harvest volume and quality. Bees were used indoors under artificial lighting to achieve stable pollination. Spread also employed JAS 0012 and GlobalGAP certified hygiene/quality control management and pesticide-free cultivation.
Shinji Inada, chief executive of Spread, the milestone was another important step towards a sustainable society where future generations can live with peace of mind.
“Since Spread started the vertical farm business, creation of a sustainable society where future generations can live with peace of mind, has always been the goal,” said Inada.
“Our challenge led us to the development of crops other than leafy greens, and I am feeling really happy and proud that our team established mass production technology of “Japanese quality” strawberries that are in high demand worldwide. Spread will aim for stable production and supply of an even broader range of food products in the future.”
