Indoor vertical vegetable farming that offers yields of between 10-20 times more than existing alternatives is not the future but a current reality in their pilot facility, says Israel-based Grow-tec. According to Ilan Ofer, CSO and CMO of Grow-tec: "We have built and installed the world's first scalable indoor vertical farming solution for tomatoes and cucumbers with between 10-20 times higher yield per area unit above the most advanced greenhouses."
Hey says they have developed an innovative cultivation model combining tiered vegetable growth with vertical leafy greens growth in the same room for maximum energy and space utilization. "Our IP portfolio covers indoor vertical vegetable farming, indoor intercropping systems, indoor farming of cereals for animal fodder, and cannabis drying rooms. We have a proven track record of dozens of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) installations in Israel and globally for a number of different crops, and are now launching our indoor vertical growing rooms for tomatoes and cucumbers," explains Ofer.
Grow-tec claims dozens of successes worldwide. They are the sole vendor in the biggest controlled environment production of medical cannabis in Israel and a key supplier to an indoor legal cannabis facility in California. They have commissioned facilities in Spain, Greece, Azerbaijan, and China. Mega hydroponic precision greenhouses in Vietnam while embracing innovation as the sole vendor of a cutting-edge precise large-scale facility of black truffles in Israel.
Ofer says there is apparently no other company like theirs: "No one else grows tomatoes and cucumbers in fully controlled indoor facilities. There are others that grow leafy greens indoors or the Dutch who grow tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses with much lower yields per sqm and with the inherent limitations of greenhouses."
What enables Grow-tech's uniqueness is the "real world traction," says Ofer: "We have experience in fully automated fertigation and control systems, high-tech indoor growing facilities, the world's most advanced and accurate drying rooms, all tightly controlled and monitored online and in real-time."
The future of vertical indoor farming is bright, says Ofer. Traditional farming faces several challenges, such as labor shortages, climate change, and the demand for locally produced food. Governments and major cities around the world are also promoting local food production in urban farming settings with limited space. Not forgetting the technological revolution that demands flexibility and localization, resource conservation and efficiency, and higher quality and healthier produce.
"Our claim is really zero pesticides. It is a closed-loop system, and so no external contamination should make it into the grow rooms. We aim to grow premium crops with zero pesticides. Our unique patented concept for horizontal trellising and vibration pollination already provides unparalleled annual yields of 800kg/m2 for cucumbers and for tomatoes 500kg/m2 and is set to improve even further by the end of the year," States Ofer.
He says that currently, the vertical farming they introduce will target the premium end of the market, primarily in geographies that are agriculturally challenged and resource-rich, such as Singapore or the Arabian Peninsula. Over time as the technology matures and economies of scale kick in, it will spread to other geographies as well.
For more information:
Ilan Ofer
Grow-tec
Tel.: +972-54-9222597
Email: ilano@grow-tec.com
www.grow-tec.com