SINGAPORE — Bolstered by growing consumer demand and supportive government policies, the indoor agriculture industry is poised to grow strongly across Asia in coming years. And companies from around the world are positioning themselves to sell much-needed technology to these Asian growers.
New data released at the Indoor Ag-Con conference held here last month shows the industry will expand this year across the region, and particularly in places like China and Japan, where food safety is of growing concern. Labor and energy remain two of the industry’s biggest costs and thus among its biggest challenges. That’s why much of the growth in controlled-environment agriculture, or CEA, is underpinned by improvements in LED lighting and in automation.
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Cost of operations for some of these indoor facilities has to be astronomical. An alternative is getting into the game on the "local neighborhood" scale. While achieving profits for these growers is also difficult, their person-to-person marketing approach ensures smart growth instead of losing their shirts investing in a large farm.