Protected cultivation increasingly seen by progressive growers as a way to offer organic and clean produce

The second day of HortEx and AGRITECHNICA ASIA in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on precision cultivation systems, plant nutrition, and monitoring technologies. Technical conferences and exhibition floor discussions between growers, suppliers, and researchers covered protected cultivation practices, resource management, and regional production constraints. © Alysha Fernandes | FloralDaily.com

Southeast Asian market developments
As HortEx addresses the broader regional market, discussions highlighted developments within Thailand and neighbouring ASEAN countries. Regional greenhouse expansion is concentrated on protected vegetable production for domestic urban markets and export-oriented flower production. Growers are increasingly adopting covered systems, including net houses, plastic greenhouses, and semi-closed structures.

In Thailand, greenhouse vegetable production focuses on tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and leafy greens, which are frequently integrated into contract farming frameworks and retail supply chains. In Vietnam and Malaysia, similar protected cultivation systems are deployed for crop intensification in suburban areas, which makes the situation different from, for example, China, which continues to expand regional production via large-scale greenhouse projects.

China has made strides in cultivating in low-tech greenhouses, because of which the manufacturing of low-cost greenhouse films, substrates, and intelligent sensors/accessories has increased. This is forcing competition in the West to develop more cost-effective solutions.

Protected cultivation is increasingly being seen by progressive growers as a way to offer organic and clean produce in Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, where the level of pesticides and chemicals used in cultivation is expected to lower in the coming years.

Flower production, specifically orchids and ornamental plants, utilizes greenhouses for year-round quality and pest control, which is why, in addition to technology suppliers, several breeders found their way to the event: new varieties offer a tool to connect to traders and retailers, and to distinguish oneself. Demand for substrates is strong in Thailand for vegetables and cannabis production.

Exhibition and conference infrastructure
The three-day event features 367 exhibitors from 30 countries. The conference agenda includes approximately 200 speakers across 60 sessions, running alongside guided tours for cooperatives and grower groups designed to link exhibition technologies to field-level applications. Side-events, including the Smart Agriculture and Unmanned Systems Conference and the AGRIFUTURE Zone sessions, targeted the implementation of new products within commercial production environments.

Regional development is driven by weather variability and increasing pressure on land and water resources. In response, infrastructure investments are increasingly directed toward automated irrigation control, fertigation systems, and climate adaptation measures, with exhibitors showcasing technologies designed to optimize resource efficiency.

The co-location of HortEx and AGRITECHNICA ASIA is used by input suppliers and equipment manufacturers to facilitate technical exchange between the broader agricultural and specialized greenhouse production sectors.

Trending Products