Lotte Mart and Super announced on the 8th that they will introduce the next-generation agricultural project "Tomorrow Farm" on the 9th. Tomorrow Farm is a project that encompasses agricultural products that utilize next-generation agricultural technology, including artificially intelligent (AI) sorted fruits, smart farm produce produced with uniform quality while maintaining appropriate cultivation conditions despite climate change, low-carbon and environmentally friendly certified agricultural products that practice carbon neutrality, and new varieties of agricultural products that respond to climate change.
According to Lotte Mart and Super, the project was planned not only to propose future agricultural product directions that large supermarkets should pursue and proactively respond to the climate crisis based on next-generation agricultural technology but also to reliably provide high-quality agricultural products to customers at reasonable prices. In fact, due to climate anomalies this year, seasonal fruit shipment prices were notably high at the start, reaching elevated levels in 2023. According to the Seoul Agricultural and Fisheries Market Corporation, the average wholesale price for a box (special grade, 2 kg) of Seolhyang strawberries on November 21 last year at Garak Market was 68,052 won, which was 23.9% higher than the price on November 23 of the previous year.
On the 9th, Lotte Mart will launch four products, including Tomorrow Farm's smart farm strawberries (500g, pack, domestically produced) and Tomorrow Farm's Tyvek strawberries (500g, pack, domestically produced). They plan to showcase a total of over 40 items and more than 150 products by the end of the year. In particular, they aim to expand the proportion of Tomorrow Farm products to 10% of total agricultural product sales.
Jung Hye-yeon, head of the Fresh Division at Lotte Mart and Super, noted, "We have been leading the introduction of AI sorting technology among large supermarkets," and added, "This year, we will expand agricultural products based on next-generation agricultural technology to proactively respond to the crisis of labor shortages and climate change and provide high-quality products to customers at reasonable prices, thereby establishing the recognition of 'Fresh = Lotte.'"