BASF to Invest in Chinese Digital Farming Startup SmartAHC
BASF Venture Capital is investing in SmartAHC, a leading supplier of digitalization solutions for pig farming on the Chinese market. SmartAHC was founded in 2014 by graduates of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The Shanghai-based startup provides customized digital solutions to increase efficiency throughout the pork value chain. Other investors include specialty chemicals producer Evonik and China’s Shenzhen Sinoagri E-Commerce.
Through digitalization, husbandry operations can optimize labor productivity in the production process. For example, pigs can be easily counted, identified and observed at any point in time during the rearing and fattening process. SmartAHC uses sensors, camera systems and artificial intelligence to collect and analyze various data in order to predict emerging issues. Pig farmers can therefore continuously monitor the condition of their animals and take action promptly and efficiently, for example, by selectively administering medication, adjusting the feed or separating sick animals.
Pig farming is an important market, especially in China. Global pork demand is around 1.4 billion animals per year, roughly half of which comes from China. In 2018, Chinese operations produced around 700 million animals. Pork is the most popular meat in China: Two-thirds of the meat consumed in the country comes from pigs.
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