When we hear the term ‘cellular agriculture’ these days, our minds typically wander to the production of cultivated meat and dairy. But similar techniques also have a part to play in growing fruits, vegetables, and other crops, writes Jack Ellis in an article published by AgFunder Network (AFN).
Ellis writes that South Korea’s E Green Global is starting out by creating potato seedlings from tissue cultures in the lab, and hopes to replicate the method with other crops in the near future.
E Green Global’s ‘lab-grown’ seed potatoes start life in “bio-secured plant factories” which keep them disease-free, and can be continually harvested throughout the year. The Seoul-based startup works on a contract-farming basis, or joint cultivation arrangements whereby it gives its “microtubers” to partner farmers as part of an investment deal.
“We believe [its] microtubers technology can supercharge efficiency for potato farmers and processors by enabling faster, better, and cheaper crops in Asia Pacific and across the $144 billion global potato market,” said Minsoo Kim, ADB Ventures investment specialist.
AFN recently caught up with E Green Global CEO Keejoon Shin (KS) to find out more.
Source: AgFunder Network (AFN). Read the full article here
Photo: E Green Global’s lab-grown ‘microtubers’ ready for planting. Image credit: E Green Global via AFN
