A Finnish tomato grower, Agrifutura Oy, has signed an agreement with Israeli company Arugga AI Farming to start operating pollinating robots in its greenhouses. This kind of pollination is relevant in winter when the bees can't do their job properly during the long dark days.
In Finland, the long dark days in winter are tough for bees to pollinate plants. That's why there is a necessity for additional hand pollination, which is a costly process and less efficient than natural pollination in summer.
Agrifutura Oy grows 4.6 hectares of tomatoes, mostly cherry tomatoes. "Like other growers, I also have concerns about bees spreading viruses. After I looked at Arugga's solution, I realized that it would bring an increase in production during the winter, when prices are at their highest, providing a fast return on investment," said Sebastian, founder and CEO of Agrifutura.
Source: delo.ua