TAURANGA, NZ - Set. 9, 2021 - Isang robotic asparagus harvester project na pinamumunuan ng mga grower at suportado ng Gobyerno ang nakatakdang pasiglahin ang New Zealand asparagus industry, sa pamamagitan ng pagpapagaan ng mga patuloy na hamon sa paggawa.
Ang New Zealand Asparagus Council (NZAC) at Robotics Plus na nakabase sa Tauranga ay magtatrabaho kasama ng mga nagtatanim ng asparagus sa New Zealand upang bumuo ng isang world-first commercial-scale autonomous robotic asparagus harvester upang tumulong na matugunan ang patuloy na mga kakulangan sa paggawa sa industriya at suportahan ang mga grower upang makakuha ng mataas -value export market. Ang pondo ng Sustainable Food and Fiber Futures (SFF Futures) ng Gobyerno ay nag-aambag ng $2.6 milyon sa $5.83 milyon na proyekto.
“Talagang nasasabik kami na maisagawa ang proyektong ito dahil kulang na lang ang mga tao para gawin ang trabaho,” sabi ni Mangaweka Asparagus grower at tagapangulo ng NZAC na si Sam Rainey. “Ang robotic harvesting ay magiging game-changer para sa industriya ng asparagus na kasalukuyang umaasa nang husto sa pagpili ng asparagus sa pamamagitan ng kamay, na mahirap gawin. Ang isang average na picker ay maglalakad ng 10 kilometro bawat araw, kaya napakahirap na akitin ang mga tao na gawin ang trabaho. Ang pagkakaroon ng kakayahang mag-access ng isang komersyal na robotic harvester ay makakatulong din sa pamamahala ng mga gastos, na tinitiyak na maaari naming patuloy na ilagay ang lokal na lumalagong sariwang asparagus sa aming mga plato."
Sinabi ni Steve Saunders, CEO ng Robotics Plus, na ang isang autonomous na asparagus harvester ay magpapagaan ng mga hadlang sa paggawa, magbabawas at magpapatatag ng mga gastos, at magbibigay-daan sa New Zealand asparagus na magkaroon ng isang mas mapagkumpitensyang alok sa mga high-value export market. “Nasasabik kaming makipagtulungan sa mga grower at sa New Zealand Asparagus Council upang matiyak na makakagawa kami ng solusyon na tumutugon sa mga hamon nang direkta at lumilikha ng mas magandang kinabukasan para sa industriya ng asparagus. Ito ay isang mainam na proyekto ng robotics dahil ang berdeng asparagus ay nakakatulong sa automation habang ito ay lumalaki sa ibabaw ng lupa. Bilang karagdagan, pinapalitan nito ang isang mahirap na trabahong pisikal na mayroon lamang isang maikling palugit sa pagtatrabaho kung saan ang mga grower ay nagpupumilit na makaakit ng mga manggagawa sa pag-aani," sabi ni Saunders.
The project builds on a prototype harvester robot developed by University of Waikato researchers with Robotics Plus. Over the last two seasons, Robotics Plus has supported the University of Waikato’s prototype asparagus harvester project led by Dr. Shen Hin Lim, Senior Lecturer in Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering and mainly assisted by PhD student Matthew Peebles and robotics engineer Josh Barnett, and mentored by Professor Mike Duke. The first prototype robotic asparagus harvester was demonstrated in California in 2019, and the second iteration was trialled in Waikato last year. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) supported the University of Waikato research programme, and Callaghan Innovation supported the PhD fellowship, prototypes and trials.
Saunders added, “These early prototypes have given Robotics Plus great insights into creating a next-generation commercial-scale asparagus harvester and has helped generate strong interest from the asparagus industry. With support from the Ministry for Primary Industries, who run the SFF Futures fund, New Zealand Asparagus Council, and ongoing support from the University of Waikato and other partners, we will deliver automation to the asparagus industry at a time when it desperately needs to remain sustainable and keep up with consumer demand for fresh produce.”
Advancing the project to a commercially available asparagus harvester will help increase grower returns and exports, says grower Geoff Lewis of Tendertips. “However, it’s not just the picking that is important; it’s all the other aspects this technology can bring to the industry, such as yield data and potential add-ons such as packing and even weeding!”
New Zealand Asparagus Council will develop a strong marketing proposition for exporting. NZAC Business Manager, Karen Orr, said, “The New Zealand asparagus industry needs to be able to export some of their produce during peak season in late October and November. Being able to export excess produce is crucial for grower returns, and the future of domestic asparagus growing. As part of this project, we’ll be creating a unique selling proposition for New Zealand grown asparagus overseas to generate export revenue for the country.
“Half of the cost of producing asparagus is labour. We had thriving asparagus exports in the 80s and 90s, but that has reduced to almost no exports due to increasing costs, particularly for labour. There hasn’t been any investment in the industry’s future because grower returns have been decreasing.
“That’s why we’ve named this project ‘Asparagus Future’–because this project is our future. We’ll help growers work together with Robotics Plus and MPI to create a future path with this autonomous crop management project.’’
Fresh asparagus accounts for more than 74% of the global market share and has a compound annual growth rate of 3.1%. It is the fastest-growing fresh market vegetable per capita consumption throughout North America, with forecasts predicting the fresh market valuation close to US$30 billion by 2027.
2022-03-29