NEC and Kagome to Provide AI-enabled Services That Improve Tomato Yields
31.3.2020 08:00:00 CEST | Business Wire | Press Release
NEC Corporation today announced the conclusion of a strategic partnership agreement with Kagome Co., Ltd. to launch agricultural management support services utilizing AI for leading tomato processing companies.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200330005802/en/
Image 1: Smart devices enable large farms to grasp conditions, quickly detect irregularities and make agricultural decisions (Graphic: Business Wire)
The new service uses NEC’s AI-enabled agricultural ICT platform, CropScope, to visualize tomato growth and soil conditions based on sensor data and satellite images, and to provide farming management recommendation services. This AI enables the service to provide data on the best timing and amounts of irrigation and fertilizer for healthy crops. As a result, farms are able to achieve stable yields and lower costs, while practicing environmentally sustainable agriculture without depending on the skill of individual growers.
Tomato processing companies can obtain a comprehensive understanding of the most effective growing conditions for tomato production on their own farms, as well as their contract growers. Also, they can optimally manage crop harvest orders across all fields based on objective data, which helps to reduce yield loss and improve productivity.
NEC and Kagome began agricultural collaboration in 2015, and by 2019 they had conducted demonstrations in regions that include Portugal, Australia and the USA. An AI farming experiment in Portugal in 2019 showed that the amount of fertilizer used for the trial was approximately 20% less than the average amount used in general, yielding 127 tons of tomatoes per hectare, approximately 1.3 times that of the average Portuguese grower, and almost the same as that of skilled growers.
Kagome will establish a Smart Agri Division in April 2020, first targeting customers in Europe, then aiming to expand the business to worldwide markets.
“Kagome has been developing agricultural management support technologies using big data in collaboration with NEC since 2015, with the aim of realizing environmentally friendly and highly profitable agricultural management in the cultivation of tomatoes for processing on a global basis,” said Kengo Nakata, General Manager, Smart Agri Division, Kagome. “By combining Kagome’s farming know-how with NEC's AI technology, we will realize sustainable agriculture,” he added.
“NEC is pleased to have signed a strategic partnership agreement with Kagome,” said Masamitsu Kitase, General Manager, Corporate Business Development Division, NEC. ”NEC aims to realize a sustainable agriculture that can respond flexibly to global social issues on climate change and food safety,” he added.
About NEC Corporation: For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200330005802/en/
Contact information
Joseph Jasper
Corporate Communications Division
NEC Corporation
j-jasper(at)ax.jp.nec.com
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Netceed Strengthens Board with Global Infrastructure and Technology Leaders1.4.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press Release
Netceed, a global leader in delivering supply chain solutions across broadband, data center and energy infrastructure, today announced the appointment of Franck Bruel, Jan Frykhammar and Stacey Thompson to advise as strategic advisors to its Board of Directors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260401045867/en/ Franck Bruel Following the recently announced recapitalization of the Netceed Group and under the chairmanship of Rajeev Suri, the company is strengthening its Board with globally recognized leaders across telecommunications infrastructure, industrial distribution, energy infrastructure and hyperscale technology. Collectively, the new appointees bring decades of leadership experience across some of the world’s most influential infrastructure and technology companies, reflecting Netceed’s ambition to play a leading role in the next generation of global digital, AI and energy infrastructure. Rajeev Suri, Ch
Vertex Announces US FDA Approval for Label Extensions of ALYFTREK ® and TRIKAFTA ® , Expanding Availability of These Medicines to ~95% of All People With CF in the United States1.4.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Press Release
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved expanded use of ALYFTREK® (vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) for the treatment of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 and older with a variant in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that is either responsive based on clinical and/or in vitro data or results in production of CFTR protein. Additionally, the U.S. FDA has also expanded the indication statement for TRIKAFTA® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) in patients ages 2 and older. This label expansion was supported by clinical and/or in vitro data from 564 variants demonstrating response to ALYFTREK and 521 variants demonstrating response to TRIKAFTA. As such, approximately 800 more people with a clinical diagnosis of CF in the U.S. are now eligible for a medicine that treats the underlying cause of their disease for the first time. This extension means approxim
Agenus Announces First Patient Enrolled in Global Phase 3 BATTMAN Trial of BOT+BAL Immunotherapy Combination in MSS or pMMR Metastatic Colorectal Cancer1.4.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Press Release
Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the landmark global phase 3 BATTMAN (CO.33) trial (NCT07152821). This study is evaluating Agenus’ immunotherapy combination of botensilimab (BOT) plus balstilimab (BAL) versus best supportive care in patients with refractory, unresectable microsatellite stable (MSS)/mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), a population long considered resistant to immunotherapy. This study is being conducted as a cooperative group trial led by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) from Canada and run across Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand. More than 100 sites will participate across the academic cooperative networks of CCTG, GI Cancer Trials in Australia and France’s Partenariat de Recherche en Oncologie Digestive (PRODIGE) consortium (including Unicancer, GERCOR and FFCD). The BATTMAN (CO.33) trial serves as the registrational-enablin
Klarna Agrees to $1.7 Billion Transaction Supporting up to $40B+ of Lending1.4.2026 13:19:00 CEST | Press Release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, has entered into a new capital efficiency transaction in the form of a Significant Risk Transfer (SRT), covering $1.7 billion-worth of Euro denominated loans and freeing up capital to support continued growth. Klarna has entered into a three-year agreement with a consortium led by Värde Partners. This is Klarna's sixth SRT transaction and improves how effectively Klarna deploys its capital on a global basis. "Our banking license is one of our biggest competitive advantages," said Niclas Neglén, Klarna's Chief Financial Officer. "This is our largest and most efficient SRT transaction to date. These transactions allow us to maximize every unit of capital to support our continued momentum." The transaction follows Klarna’s recently announced $2 billion facility supporting $17B of US Financing expansion. About Klarna Klarna is a global digital bank and flexible payments provider. With over 118 million global active Klarna user
Americhem Launches nDryve™: PFAS-Free In-Melt Technology Platform for Functional Fibers1.4.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press Release
Americhem, Inc., a global polymer solutions provider, today announced the launch of nDryve™, a PFAS-free, in-melt surface-modifying technology platform designed to deliver durable multi-fluid repellency against alcohol and other low-surface-energy fluids in fiber systems. As global regulations accelerate the phase-out of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), manufacturers are under increasing pressure to maintain barrier performance without fluorinated chemistries. nDryve™ was developed to address this shift, offering a PFAS-free, in-melt alternative to conventional surface applied treatments. Engineered for Performance Without PFAS Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS have come under heightened regulatory scrutiny due to their persistence and potential environmental and health impacts. nDryve™ integrates directly into the polymer during melt processing, embedding surface-modifying functionality within the fiber matrix rather than relying on removable finishes. By engin
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom