[뜨는 직업]④ Farmers and plant factory operators who are not worried about drought or heavy rain

Input 2021.01.09 06:00

2020 was literally a year of abnormal climate. The early heatwave began in early June and lasted for a month. The number of rainy days during the rainy season also lasted the longest at 28.3 days. It was not a problem only in Korea. Europe also suffered from heatwaves, and record heavy rains fell in India and elsewhere. Typhoons were also frequent.

Agriculture was the most affected by this climate change. The FAO Food Price Index released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) soared from 90 points in May last year to 105 points in November last year. This index is based on the average food price (100 points) from 2014 to 2016.

As agricultural productivity increases according to the climate, inquiries regarding’plant factories’ are also increasing. Plant factories are facilities that can produce crops regardless of weather conditions by adjusting temperature, light humidity, and nutrients. It can be grown by stacking it at a height of 3m or more, and its growth rate is about 30% faster than that of growing it in the open field. The productivity of plant factories based on the same area is 50 times.

Plant factory operators are’farmers’ who work in such plant factories. However, the working conditions are better than working in the existing field. For example, Farm 8’s plant factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province maintains an average temperature of 23 degrees, so there is no need to suffer from the heat. Due to the nature of plant factories, the labor intensity is relatively low due to hydroponics.

Since the crops grown in plant factories are herbs or ssam vegetables, profitability is good. According to the industry, monthly sales per 330m2 (100 pyeong) are approximately 18 million won and net income is 7 million won. In the future, the production of crops used in medicine is expected to generate greater profits.

Like the food’recipe’, plant-specific growth conditions are also set. Basil can be grown in 40 days if the temperature is maintained at 23 degrees. It means that you can work only with short-term education, not long-term learning like traditional farmers. It is possible to try to change not only plant plant operation but also plant plant facilities and related industries such as distribution.

Another advantage is that there is no need to go to work far from the city center. Plant factories can be installed anywhere as long as a certain amount of space is secured. In fact, plant factories using idle spaces in subway stations, apartment complexes, and closed schools have also appeared in Korea.

The industry is also growing. It is estimated that global plant factories have been growing at an annual average of 23% since 2016. It is observed that the domestic plant factory market has also increased from 320 billion won in 2018 to nearly 500 billion won this year.

However, the initial investment cost is a burden. The facility cost alone costs 5 million won per 3.3㎡. The price has become cheaper than the past 10 million won, but considering the land cost, the cost of building a 330㎡ plant factory is about 1 billion won. However, recently, plant factories using facilities such as container boxes are also about to be commercialized, so the cost per 3.3m2 can go down to 3 million won or less in the future. .

The industry emphasizes’problem solving ability’ rather than a specific department or certification for plant factory operation. This is because efforts are needed to understand not only agriculture, but also areas such as biology, electronics, chemistry, data, and distribution.

“Because you need to know the whole flow of agriculture, it will be necessary to obtain related certifications,” said Seong-Eon Kim, head of the plant factory company Farm 8.