From 13 October and 15 October, Agri week Tokyo took place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. The event, organized by RX Japan, is an agriculture technology trade show in Japan covering all kinds of agricultural supplies, materials, technologies, and services. With strict Covid measures, the event was attended by 400 exhibitors and attracted over 27,000 visitors.
The event was well attended by many professionals, mainly from Japan, looking for new products and services. Exhibitors and attendants from overseas were few in number as business trips to Japan are still difficult due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and quarantine rules.
AGRINEXT, one of the 4 shows of AGRI WEEK, attracted attention showing technologies for next-generation farming, such as plant factory systems, AI/IT solutions, drones, and photovoltaic generation systems. Quite a few exhibitors showcased the latest models of agricultural drones for spreading seeds, fertilizers, and plant protection products.
There is a lot of interest in precision/smart farming technologies in Japan, as the nation faces a serious labor shortage in the agricultural sector. The average age of farmers in Japan is 67,8 and 70% of farmers are 65 years old or older (as of Feb 2020). Labor-saving technologies are seen as a solution to sustain and improve the productivity of the farmers in Japan.
Denso and DENSO AgriTech Solutions, a joint-venture between DENSO and Certhon in the Netherlands, exhibited their AI-powered tomato harvesting robot “FARO”, an automatic irrigation system using sensing technologies and a traceability and logistics management system using RFID and QR code, among other products.
Denso's tomato harvesting robot FARO
CCS showed different types of Philips GreenPower LED for plant factories and greenhouse horticulture as well as cultivation methods that match the lighting solutions. For instance, a cultivation method enabling the production of large lettuce over 250g while suppressing tip burn, and a solution to the problem of pollination for strawberry cultivation.
AgVenture Lab exhibited jointly with start-ups that offer various new products and services. The start-ups present at the booth included Agrihub offering a cloud-based smartphone app for the management of pesticide use, Agrist developing a harvesting robot for bell peppers, Otetsutabi providing a web-based matching platform for farms and short-term workers, and CuboRex offering power-assisted wheels for transport of farm harvest on slopes. These start-ups are of different technology levels, but all provide products and services that cater to the needs of Japanese farmers.
AGRI WEEK is held twice a year in Tokyo and Osaka. The next shows are scheduled for 8-10 March 2022 (Osaka) and 12-14 October 2022 (Tokyo).
For more information:
Ministry of agriculture, nature and food quality of the Netherlands
www.government.nl/en