Food in the 'box'

High-tech vertical farms have found new ground on the Chinese mainland as the world grapples with supply disruptions brought about by adverse weather conditions. Li Bingcun reports from Dongguan.

Year-round produce — that's what high-tech container farming offers on a planet whose food supply chains are constantly disrupted by climate change and natural calamities.

At a primitive factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, modified shipping containers, or "mobile farms", are filled with rows of shelves equipped with advanced technologies like hydroponic or aeroponic systems, to grow wasabi and chili peppers whose supplies are threatened by extreme weather in Japan and Malaysia.

A large digital screen remotely monitors a similar farm in Malaysia, allowing for real-time adjustments of temperature, humidity and other indicators.

The container farm in Dongguan marks the first step by Hong Kong agricultural technology firm, Farm66, to relocate its manufacturing operations to the Chinese mainland.

A pioneer in vertical farming since its inception 12 years ago, the company last year shifted its production line to Dongguan — the "world's factory" — that boasts a well-equipped supply chain of container assembly components, value-for-money factory options, top agricultural talents, and convenient transportation to Hong Kong.

The components for container farms' automated operation can be delivered within one hour. Occupying over 2,000 square meters and located near Humen railway station — about an hour north from Hong Kong by high-speed train — the factory can accommodate up to 28 containers. It's complemented by Humen Port's lower export costs to overseas markets compared to Hong Kong.

To meet evolving market needs, Farm66 is considering establishing similar manufacturing bases in Zhuhai and Foshan within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, says Gordon Tam, its founder and chief executive.