Gallant Venture partners Japanese firm to pilot high-tech greenhouse

GALLANT Venture has partnered Obayashi Corporation to pilot a "technologically advanced" greenhouse focusing on eco-tourism on Bintan island in Indonesia, both companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

PT Persada Hijau Cemerlang, a company owned by Gallant Venture and Indonesian conglomerate Salim Group, will work with the Japanese firm to build the greenhouse. Salim Group is Gallant's major shareholder.

Named the Gallant Obayashi Green Agritech Park, the greenhouse will be optimised for the tropical climate using advanced environmental controls.

It will cultivate "premium" crops with improved sustainability and higher yields, and these crops will be commercialised for export to Singapore and other markets, according to the joint statement. 

The greenhouse will use Obayashi's technology to analyse heat and air flow, and come equipped with an environmental control system to regulate temperature, humidity and light intensity. This will help maximise crop production and quality, and reduce water usage.

There will also be a visitor and education centre for tourists and students, promoting agri-technology as part of the park's drive to become an eco-tourism destination.

The upcoming Bintan Resorts International Airport and the Bintan-Batam sea bridge are expected to increase tourism demand for Bintan island, Gallant and Obayashi said.

Gallant is an integrated master planner and developer for the industrial parks and resorts in Batam and Bintan. Its key business segments are utilities, industrial parks, resort operations, property development and automotive.

Obayashi is a construction and real estate firm that is also venturing into renewable energy. One of its recent projects is Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport.

Shares of mainboard-listed Gallant were up S$0.003 or 2.6 per cent to S$0.114 as at 3.55pm on Tuesday.