Development of Covering Film for High-Performance Horticulture

Along with greatly shaking up the confidence in producers and distributors, the problems, such as BSE and avian influenza, which are threatening the safety of agricultural products occurring one after another, have suddenly increased our the awareness of “food safety” as consumers. On the other hand, even though Japanese agriculture is facing internal and external problems such as the depression of prices that accompanies the expansion in importation of agricultural products and the aging and lack of successors in the farming population, farmers on the leading edge of technology are thinking of the commercial value of “food safety” and are aiming at advanced protected horticulture technology that provides “reassurance,” “stability” and “inexpensiveness.” In 1981, Sumitomo Chemical put Cleantate on the market. This brought about a technical revolution in the main market for agricultural polyvinyl chloride polyvinyl films (polyvinyl chloride films for agricultural use) due to polyolefin-based materials and has contributed to the development of protected horticultural technology.1) In addition, since combining Cleantate operations with Sanzenkako Co., Ltd. in 2002, we always have been the market leader in agricultural polyolefin films (agricultural PO) as the top maker, and we currently have the top share in the agricultural PO polyolefin films market. While the market share for agricultural PO polyolefin films is gradually expanding with its characteristics of being “strong in the wind, light and easy on the environment,” its completeness in terms of the quality of heat retention (IR absorbency), clouding (fogging) resistance and the like is insufficient for complete replacement of agricultural vinyl chloride films. However, a heat retention (IR absorbency) equivalent to agricultural vinyl chloride film was proven for Cleantate DX, which Sumitomo Chemical marketed in 1995, and taking the opportunity of various companies marketing agricultural PO polyolefin films to which coating anti-clouding (anti-fogging) agents had been applied to suddenly increase the duration of resistance to clouding (fogging) starting in 1997, agricultural PO polyolefin films went from simply being recognized as a complementary material to agricultural vinyl chloride film to being acknowledged as a labor saving, durable material that reduces replacement operations and costs. Dissemination centered on large-scale protected horticulture operators and associated industries accelerated. In addition, the reduction of labor and reduction of resources consumed (reduced waste) conforms plans in agricultural policies and environmental protection policies supporting improvement of the competitiveness of domestic agriculture. With this operating environment as the background and as a result of Development of Covering Film for High-Performance Horticulture