ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor has officially opened Malaysia’s largest high-tech vertical farming facility, covering 50,000 square feet, to grow leafy greens using advanced agricultural technology.
The RM40 million project is a collaboration between FarmByte Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Johor Corporation (JCorp), and Singapore-based agri-tech firm Archisen Pte Ltd.
Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi described the facility as a strategic development within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Located at Nusajaya Industrial Park, the farm began construction in 2023 and is now fully operational, producing crops such as ice plant salad.
“This is a historic milestone for Johor, Malaysia, and Singapore. What began as a pioneering idea two years ago has now become a reality. This isn’t just an agricultural project – it is a new ecosystem that strengthens regional food security,” Onn Hafiz said during the launch ceremony.
The facility integrates large-scale infrastructure with smart farming systems, enabling year-round production of high-quality leafy greens.
Using controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology, the farm operates without pesticides and is unaffected by weather conditions.
With an estimated annual yield of 306,000 kilogrammes, the farm aligns with Malaysia’s National Food Security Policy Action Plan and Singapore’s “30 by 30” initiative, which aims to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.
FarmByte and Archisen are in discussions with other companies to expand operations and develop a regional vertical farming network.
“They aim to scale up operations and establish a comprehensive farming network. We hope this will be realised soon, with strong support from all stakeholders,” Onn Hafiz added.
Key figures present at the launch included Archisen director Vincent Wei, JCorp chairman Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, and State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han. – Bernama
