Vertical Field has planned to conduct an initial pilot at Varus this year before expanding to other chains
Vertical Field to install vertical farming in Ukraine. (Credit: Pexels from Pixabay.)
Israel-based agtech company Vertical Field has reached an agreement with Moderntrendo for the installation of vertical farms in Ukraine.
Moderntrendo is a food products supplier in Turkey, Eastern Europe and Asia and is focused on rapeseed, corn, soybean and sunflower vegetable oils.
For vertical farming deployment in Ukraine, Vertical Field has planned to conduct an initial pilot at Varus, which is claimed to be one of the biggest national supermarket chains in the country, in early 2021 before expanding to other chains.
Varus operates 95 stores across 25 cities and attracts nearly 260,000 customers on daily basis.
Vertical Field CEO Guy Elitzur said: “We are extremely excited about our partnership with Moderntrendo S.R.O which has led to the project with Varus and will lead to more projects in the near future with more chains in Ukraine.
“One of the realisations that have surfaced during the COVID-19 crisis is the need to develop solutions that allow urban residents access to healthy food, with minimal human handling and without depending on transportation and shipping from remote locations.”
The agtech company has developed and commercialised soil-based vertical farms in containers which produce locally sourced vegetables.
The indoor farms can produce a variety of fresh greens and other vegetables using Vertical Field’s proprietary technology.
The technology is claimed to create less waste compared with conventional agriculture, using 90% less water and grow precise quantities in a controlled environment, and achieve shorter growing cycles.
The company’s farms provide a unique on-site service for local supermarkets, restaurants, outdoor markets as well as the distribution centres.
It currently offers lettuce, basil, parsley, kale, mint and other crops which are sold at highly competitive prices.