Taiwan Vertical Farm To Invest US$25 Million In Britain: UK Minister

2018/04/10

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Graham Stuart, minister for investment in the United Kingdom's Department for International Trade, on Tuesday announced a plan by a Taiwanese company to establish a vertical farming factory in the UK.

YesHealth Agri-Biotechnology Co., which operates a 14-storey vertical farm in Taoyuan City called YesHealth iFarm, will invest 18 million pounds sterling (US$25.47 million) over two years to establish a pilot factory at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC) in York, "bringing the next generation of food production to UK shores," Stuart announced at a press conference held at the farm in Taoyuan.

Stuart, who is visiting Taiwan to boost trade links, said YesHealth will become the first such company to expand into the UK market.

Not only are vertical farms more efficient, they are free from pesticides, heavy metals and e.coli, he said. "Truly, it is a model for the future."

"Our cooperation on the green economy is a perfect example of how Taiwan and the UK can work together, sharing knowledge and expertise to build a brighter global future," Stuart said at the press conference, which was also attended by Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦).

YesHealth boasts a production yield 100 times higher than traditional agriculture and expects its UK facility to produce 50-150 kilograms of vegetables per day.

In early 2019, it also plans to build a mass production facility in the UK capable of supporting daily production of 20 tonnes of vegetables within five years, according to the company.

YesHealth President Winston Tsai (蔡文清) said the company chose the UK to establish its first base in Europe because it has high spending power and British people consume a lot of salad.

He said the company has focused on agri-technology for the past nine years because climate change, industrial development and environmental destruction have reduced arable land and made it difficult to grow crops outdoors, and young people are reluctant to go into farming.

Tsai said the goal is to expand YesHealth farms from the UK to all Europe and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Stuart also announced a plan by Taiwan frozen food producer and distributor Han Dian to invest 3.5 million pounds in the expansion of its UK manufacturing operations after an initial investment in London last year.

Taiwanese food is becoming increasingly popular in the UK and the expansion will allow Han Dian to meet increased demand and launch a chain of restaurants across the country, he added.

In addition, Stuart said the UK and Taiwan also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday on marine engineering in the offshore wind energy sector.

"The MOU is designed to allow the Taiwanese renewable energy industry to tap into the wealth of industry knowledge and expertise on offer in the UK as Taiwan rapidly expands its green economy,"he said.

He also announced that MAN Diesel & Turbo UK, a supplier of large diesel engines, will open a new operations and maintenance center in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung in May.

Bilateral trade between Taiwan and the UK is worth more than 5.4 billion pounds and the UK is Taiwan's third largest trading partner in Europe, said Stuart, who met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taiwan's economics and foreign affairs officials on Monday and noted that they had discussed future collaborative opportunities.

The UK and Taiwan could also cooperate in areas such as artificial intelligence, infrastructure and nuclear and renewable energy, Stuart said Tuesday.

The UK was the first country to develop civil nuclear power and has a lot of experience dealing with the end of life of nuclear plants, he said.

"So there is a huge opportunity for the UK to support Taiwan in dealing with its nuclear legacy and developing green renewables,"Stuart said. 

(By Christie Chen)
Enditem/AW