Malaysia "opens LED plant farms" in shopping malls

A shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, recently opened the first "urban vertical farm" to grow vegetables.

Singapore's Channel News Asia reported on the 19th that the "farm" covers an area of about 110 square meters and has five 5-meter-high shelves. Each shelf is planted with seven layers of vegetables, including cabbage, lettuce and kale. According to the founder Pingtian, the "urban vertical farm" can produce up to 1.5 tons of vegetables per month, which is equivalent to the output of 6 mu of traditional farms. Pingtian said that this new planting method simulates natural light through LED lights, and cooperates with an automated irrigation system, which not only takes up less space, labor and water resources, but also avoids damage caused by weather, pests and plant diseases.

According to statistics from Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the country’s vegetable self-sufficiency rate in 2019 was 44.4%. Pingtian hopes that this new cultivation method will change Malaysia’s over-reliance on imported agricultural products.