TOKYO, March 8 (Kyodo News International) — Visiting Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen on Monday sampled leaf greens grown in an artificial indoor "vegetable factory" in Tokyo's Shiodome district.
The premier praised the facility for "quite a unique and visionary production method" and said the taste of the greens was "excellent." The experimental plant, which was set up in the Caretta Shiodome commercial complex last November, allows for the cultivation of produce such as lettuce and arugula using only artificial lighting.
Rasmussen said the concept is appealing for agriculture in Denmark, where "the development of sustainable and organic production is becoming increasingly important." The facility enables stable year-round vegetable production with no or minimal use of pesticide.
A maximum of 60 vegetable samples from the Shiodome plant have been distributed daily free of charge to restaurants in the complex as the project has been subsidized by the state, according to Dentsu Facility Management Inc., which operates the factory.
But it will be necessary to curtail the running costs of the artificial plant for it to be widely adopted. The initial cost of installing the facility amounted to 7 million yen and annual expenses to cover electricity, water and nutrient solution would reach 700,000 yen, the operator said.
Officials of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, which is promoting the factory, told the Danish premier that advanced renewable energy technologies in the European country such as solar and wind power as well as biomass could help to cut the running costs of the facility.
Rasmussen said, "This is the area we have some competence in Denmark," and indicated that some companies in his country are interested in the concept of the vegetable plant.
