iFarm to build ‘world’s largest’ automated vertical farm in Mexico

iFarm has announced a collaboration with Opus 2G Group (Mexico) to build a huge automated high-tech vertical farm in the Smart City of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca in the South of Mexico. Built with cutting-edge vertical farming technologies, the farm will have a cultivation area of 38,500m2 and will become the largest vertical farm in the world.

Smart City of Tehuantepec will be set up by the holding Opus 2G Group in frames of the project The Smart Industrial Corridor Benito Juarez (CIINT). The initiative forms part of the governmental project, Interoceanic Corridor of Tehuantepec Isthmus. It consists of connecting the port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca with Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz to bolster economic growth of Mexico's Southeast states. This initiative of Opus 2G Group is being supported by the government of the State of Oaxaca.

The CIINT Benito Juárez comprises heavy industries such as chemicals, energy, and agriculture, and will create approximately 75,000 jobs in its initial phase. To house over 170,000 people, the Smart City of Tehuantepec will be constructed from scratch, 40km away from the Salina Cruz port in Oaxaca.

In the Smart City of Tehuantepec, iFarm will build an automated vertical farm based on the cutting-edge iFarm StackGrow technology. The automated vertical farm, the largest in the world, will have a total cultivation area of 38,500m2 to grow more than 35 types of leafy greens and microgreens with a hydroponics vertical farming system. The expected monthly yield is over 288 tons of high-quality crops per month. The pilot farm in the Smart City of Tehuantepec will be launched in 2024.

“The Tehuantepec Smart City project led by Opus 2G Group is an outstanding example of a commitment to make a social and environmental impact," commented Alexander Lyskovsky, CEO of iFarm. "We extremely proud to be a part of it. We hope that our collaboration will facilitate transformation of the food production landscape in Mexico and globally.”

Opus 2G Group and iFarm plan to construct 22 automated vertical farms in the smart city by 2028. In the future, a wide range of crops is set in the food production plan: berries, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and medical plants. iFarm and Opus 2G Group will also run a joint investigation aimed at developing an indoor farming system to grow coffee and cocoa beans.