Farmind Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tatsuo Horiuchi; hereinafter "Farmind") and Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Hyodo) concluded a business partnership agreement on December 14, 2023, pertaining to sustainable supplies of fruits and vegetables.

To bolster Japan’s food security, Farmind and Sumitomo Corporation will seek to attain sustainable supplies of fruits and vegetables by promoting agricultural production, support towards producers, and strengthening global procurement and distribution infrastructure.

The partnership will include;

The Farmind Group constituted a comprehensive platform backed by cold chain and information network which connects fruits and vegetables value chain. Its 14 processing centers nationwide are seamlessly linked to maritime and ground transport logistics and its proprietary IT system ensures accurate information, quality and efficient distribution while maintaining temperature control. Addition to the already strong fresh produce import business, Farmind is expanding the domestic fruit and vegetable business, aiming to contribute to promote domestic agricultures.

Sumitomo Corporation has long been engaged in the distribution and sales of fruits and vegetables, both in Japan and overseas. As an integrated trading and business investment company, Sumitomo Corporation is also involved in a wide range of agricultural and food business. To solve the social issues facing the food industry -declining farming population and food self-sufficiency, and logistics issues- Sumitomo Corporation will be implementing initiatives aimed at securing sustainable fruits and vegetables supplies from a multifaceted perspective by leveraging its knowledge and networks in various related fields.

Utilizing DX and development and implementation of advanced technologies, the two companies will materialize delivery of fresh and quality products to consumers while achieving a sustainable agriculture. Through the optimization of production and logistic efficiency, this initiative will also be contributing to the reduction of environmental impact.

(Note) Cold chain: a system for distributing products with consistent temperature control from production sites to retail stores.