In Romagna, Kiwi cultivation becomes 4.0

The technological facility built in the province of Ravenna, costing 5 million euros, has no equal in all of Europe and automates work phases

The digitalization process is changing not only factories, but also the agricultural sector, where the use of technology has grown in recent years. In Romagna, for example, the largest hi-tech plant for the cultivation of kiwifruit has been built.

The technological facility built in the province of Ravenna, in Castel Bolognese, has, in terms of innovation, no equal throughout Europe. The modernization cost about 5 million euros. Several technologies have been used for the transformation of the kiwi cultivation plant. In particular, the processing phases have been automated, through packaging and sizing lines supplied by a company from Romagna: Sermac. In the new 4.0 plant there is also an innovative technology that will improve the quality process: also produced by Sermac, it will allow to check the fruit both outside and inside.

Agriculture changes in Italy

In the Castel Bolognese plant two hi-tech cooling tunnels have also been built, which further improve the kiwi fruit preservation process. The hi-tech structure built in the province of Ravenna demonstrates how Italian agriculture, an integral part of the Bel Paese's economy, is also turning to technology, moving towards automated production systems that not only cut processing times, but also impact quality.

The importance of technology

Technology is becoming fundamental in agriculture, a sector that depends on many variable factors, elements that are difficult to control with traditional methods. The tools made available by digital innovation, however, allow entrepreneurs to reduce risk. Through machines it is possible, for example, to calculate the arrival of a disease for the plant, based on previously collected data, and act in time with treatments. And that's not all. Drones, then, are now very important tools and represent one of the pillars on which precision agriculture is based. All these technologies also produce another effect: they reduce the use of pesticides and improve the quality of the cultivated product.