Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.
MKV Dream Co., Ltd.

MKV Dream Co., Ltd., (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President Katsutoshi Ogihara), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President Hiroshi Yoshida) that is developing solar powered plant factories, has reached an agreement with the agricultural co-operative China Co-op (headquarters Nanjing, Jiangsu), which is mainly active in Jiangsu Province, to conduct verification tests of solar powered plant factories in China. The first plant factory was constructed in Wuxi, Jiangsu, and the completion ceremony was held on November 17. In addition to evaluating the productivity and business potential, the companies will examine conducting verification tests in other areas such as Nanjing.

In China, the area used for greenhouse horticulture is growing yearly, and it is estimated that currently the area is 3.6 million hectares, around 70 times the area used in Japan for the same purpose. Similar to the trend in Japan, there is growing health consciousness and awareness of food safety in China, and it is projected that demand for high-quality, safe vegetables, such as those grown in plant factories, will increase in the future. On account of this, the desires of MKV Dream, which possesses top-class technology related to solar powered plant factories and was searching for a way to expand its business in China, coincide with those of China Co-op, which is examining introducing and expanding the use of plant factories in China, and the two companies agreed to construct a solar powered plant factory in Wuxi and conduct a verification test of productivity and business feasibility of the factory for one year. The test has started.

The objective of the verification test at the solar powered plant factory (1,000 m²) constructed in Wuxi, is to raise seedlings in Naeterasu™, a closed seedling factory that employs artificial light; then transfer the seedlings to a commercial greenhouse that incorporates advanced film as a covering; and raise quality vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and mizuna using hydroponics. Cultivating vegetables in the solar powered plant factory makes it possible to produce a larger stable supply of quality vegetables than with normal cultivation methods. The advanced film used prevents bugs from entering the greenhouse, allowing less agrochemicals to be used; therefore the system can be referred to as a system to cultivate safe vegetables. For this verification test, MKV Dream will supply the materials for the commercial greenhouse, hydroponic system, and technical support, and China Co-op will be responsible for growing the vegetables and transporting them to markets where there is demand for safe vegetables. During the test period, MKV Dream will try to obtain the Chinese grade certification for safe vegetables grown with reduced agrochemicals and move forward with its examination of fully commercializing plant factories in China.

In order to further accelerate the commercialization of solar powered plant factories which it has positioned as next generation agricultural business to be developed, and to realize KAITEKI, which Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group espouses, Mitsubishi Plastics Group will promote the expansion of its business with an eye on overseas, particularly China, whose market is expected to experience further growth.
 

Artificial-light closed seedling production facilities		Single-level cultivation system making multi-harvests possible
New hydroponic system for leafy vegetables		Completed solar powered plant factory in Wuxi
Completion ceremony for the Wuxi solar powered plant factory		Mitsubishi Plastic President Yoshida giving speech at completion ceremony

 

 　

 

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	Public Relations Section, General Administration Dept., Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. TEL: +81-3-3279-3800