22nd October 2020 – &ever Singapore Pte Ltd (previously Farmers Cut Pte Ltd), a fully owned subsidiary of &ever GmbH from Germany, will grow and deliver nutritious, great-tasting and pesticide-free leafy greens to consumers in Singapore with its first indoor farm in the region. Their 15m high, multi-layer, vertical farm makes it possible to grow crops locally, in any climate condition, anywhere in the world.

Amid the global food supply challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) launched a ‘30×30 Express’ Grant earlier this year. The grant will support the country’s agri-food industry and accelerate the ramp up of local production, with the aim of meeting 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs with food produced locally by 2030.

&ever has been awarded funding under SFA’s ‘30×30 Express’ grant to ramp up local food production over the next six to 24 months. The grant is awarded to companies who make use of highly productive farming systems that can be constructed and implemented quickly to achieve high production levels.

&ever will produce annually up to 500,000 kg of leafy greens for consumers in Singapore using their Dryponics method. Dryponics keeps the plants alive, with the roots intact, until they reach the consumer. Consumers will be able to harvest the plants only seconds before consumption, resulting in higher nutritional value and better tasting greens.

Using 90 percent less water, 60 percent less fertilizer and zero pesticides, &ever produces plants that are more nutrient-rich and better for the environment. Usually, green leaves lose most of their nutritional value after being washed in chlorine, chilled, packed, stored in warehouses, and then sent on the road for transportation – many times across thousands of kilometres.

&ever’s cutting edge, fully automated technology allows for everything inside the farms to be controlled digitally- from the seeding to harvesting, CO2 levels, temperature and airflow. IoT sensors and edge computing are collecting data throughout the farmhouses to produce and maintain the healthiest plants. This controlled environment leads to faster growth cycles and higher crop yield.

“To accelerate the ramp up in local food production and meet our “30 by 30” goal, we will need to leverage productive farming technology. Technology can help farms achieve higher production levels, and be more resilient against the impacts of climate change. We are pleased to see our agri-food players, such as &ever Singapore adopting productive and innovative farming systems, and will continue to work with them to strengthen our food production capabilities. This in turn will enhance Singapore’s food security, and create good jobs for our people,” said Mr Melvin Chow, Senior Director of SFA’s Food Supply Resilience division.

&ever has been present in the hyper-local agri-food scene since early 2019. With the successful launch of their first indoor farm in Kuwait earlier this year, they aim to bring their sustainable farming solution to other parts of the world with challenging climate conditions.

“Dr. Henner Schwarz, CEO of &ever, said: “We are excited to continue our global roll-out and bring better tasting, highly nutritious salad to the people of Singapore.” “At the same time we make a strong contribution to one of the world’s most exciting eco-systems for indoor vertical farming added Mark Korzilius, founder and CISO of &ever.”