On 15 February 2018, Dr. Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Science and Technology went on tour to 808 Factory Shinnippou in Shizuoka, Japan. He was accompanied by Dr. Narong Sirilertworakul, NSTDA President, Dr. Somvong Tragoonrung, BIOTEC Executive Director and representatives of Thai public and private entities. On hand to welcome the Thai delegates were Mr. Katashi Kai, General Manager of 808 Factory Shinnippou and Prof. Toyoki Kozai, President of Japan Plant Factory Association.
808 Factory Shinnippou is a leading plant factory company in Japan. Its spacious facility is a closed system with controlled environments and inputs including light intensity, water, air, fertilizers, enabling the protection from diseases and insect pests. The 1000 sq. m. facility can accommodate as many as 120,000 plants, with the production capacity of 9000 plants/day. Plant factory systems offers resource saving and environmentally friendliness to the food production. In addition to cost saving in pesticide, water and fertilizers, plant factory systems also require much less space for cultivation. Production obtained from this system is of premium quality, and therefore can bring in more revenue to the company. The technology would be highly suitable for Thailand’s herbal products.
