Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has entered the commercial world of fresh produce, selling its first radishes and greens to the Ootoya chain of Japanese restaurants in Singapore.
The 248m2 indoor farming facility was established in Singapore in October last year, with ten types of vegetables including spinach, lettuce and parsley produced in the climate-controlled environment.
Panasonic expects more than 30 varieties to be grown at the facility by March 2017, which will account for around 5 per cent of local vegetable production in Singapore, according to Reuters.
Importing more than 90 per cent of its food, Panasonic said the island-state is well placed for indoor farming, with its indoor-grown vegetables potentially selling for 50 per cent less than imported Japanese vegetables.
“We foresee agriculture to be a potential growth portfolio, given the global shortage of arable land, climate change and increasing demand for quality food as well as stable food supply,” Panasonics Hideki Baba told Reuters.
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