"Corporate Startup Success" Nongshim's First Smart Farm Export to Oman

Officials from the Oman Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are touring the mass-produced model smart farm inside the Nongshim Anyang Factory.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Nongshim announced on the 23rd that it will export container-type smart farms to Oman. This marks Nongshim's first achievement in the smart farm business, which began with the formation of an in-house startup team in 2018.

The export scale is $200,000, consisting of two 40ft containers. The cultivation area is approximately 165㎡ (50 pyeong), and all environmental conditions essential for plant growth, including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration in the air, light intensity, and nutrients, are automatically controlled. Additionally, observation and control are possible anytime and anywhere via smartphone. Most of the cultivation equipment, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), environmental control systems, and software used in the smart farm were developed in-house by Nongshim.

A Nongshim official explained, "It is possible to cultivate at least 12 times and up to 18 times a year, which reduces the cultivation period to less than half compared to conventional farming. Since it is exported in container form, crops can be grown immediately by simply connecting electricity and water locally."

Nongshim plans to actively promote the export of smart farm technology to the Middle East, where food self-sufficiency rates are low, starting with Oman.