Pharmacy Daily | DISPENSARY CORNER 23 March 16

JAPANESE farmers in Fukushima prefecture have begun growing produce in polyester “soil” which has been developed to help restore consumer confidence in the wake of the region’s 2011 nuclear disaster. So far a trial run in the Ojima district has seen 2,000 ornamental anthurium plants grown using thin polyester fibres in place of soil, according to a report in the Asahi Shimbun. Although food grown in the region has passed safety tests, there is still widespread concern about radiation which has heavily impacted growers. The synthetic soil has been developed by a team from Kinki University, with project leader Professor Takahiro Hayashi saying the new method will “help protect Fukushima farmers from harmful rumours that may stem from consumers’ concerns over soil contamination”. Local farmers hope it will really catch on, with one saying he has a dream that flowers cultivated in this way will be presented to athletes on the podium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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