WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2025 35 climate, laver is generally produced from October to April of the following year, and the optimal water temperature for growth is 5~15℃. In recent years, the optimal seedling period has also been delayed from early September to late September due to high seawater temperatures, reducing the production period by about a month. On the other hand, on-land laver farming cultivates and harvests laver in a large tank, creating a laver growth environment like the ocean. Seedling, cultivation, and harvesting are possible all year round. In addition, introducing an automated system can reduce labor costs and increase productivity. No burden or difficulty of laver cultivation requires management and harvesting on a management ship in the middle of winter. There are also advantages such as prevention of marine disease infection and increased production per unit area. The disadvantage of land-based seaweed cultivation is that the initial facility installation and operating costs are high, so the initial investment burden is high. In addition, the technology and management ability to control the cultivation environment are also considered disadvantages. How Far has the Development of Land-based Laver Cultivation Technology Come? So, how far has the development of on-land laver cultivation technology come? CJ CheilJedang Co., the No. 1 food company in Korea that was the first to jump into on-land laver aquaculture research, began developing on-land seaweed aquaculture technology in 2018 and is conducting research with the goal of commercialization in 2028. In 2023, it secured the first on-land aquaculture-specific variety. It developed a special medium (culture solution) that supplies the nutrients needed for laver. CJ CheilJedang Co. is also expanding its on-land aquaculture tanks to over 10 tons, leading to the recent jump into on-land laver aquaculture. Dongwon F&B has recently entered land-based laver farming. It is betting on cultivating laver on land using lava seawater from Jeju Island. Dongwon F&B signed a business agreement (MOU) with Jeju Technopark Lava Seawater Center in October last year to utilize lava seawater. Lava seawater is salt groundwater rich in mineral elements such as magnesium, calcium, and vanadium. Its advantage is a stable water temperature of around 16°C all year round, so it is confident that it can secure the highest-quality raw materials among competitors. Daesang Co. began developing land-based laver farming technology in 2023. It plans to invest KRW 2 billion over five years to establish a stable method of cultivating laver for commercialization. This budget is expected to be spent mainly on equipping the technology and facilities for producing fresh laver. Daesang Co. will also form a consortium with Goheunggun Jeollanam-do Province and participate in the Laver Land-based Farming System Development Project, which the MOF hosts. Pulmuone has recently been the most talked about food company. Pulmuone began developing land-based aquaculture technology in 2021 and signed a business agreement with Jeonbuk State (special self-governing province) to develop new laver species, conduct joint research on indoor and outdoor aquaculture, and develop the technology. As the first test product using a land-based aquaculture laver, the company launched the ‘Deulkkae (perilla) Laver Kalguksu (knife-cut-noodles)’ menu at its directly managed vegan restaurant in May. After a three-month test period, it is preparing for commercialization. Pulmuone is behind CJ CheilJedang Co. in laver aquaculture technology development research but is the fastest in laver research. It began research on seaweed seeds, including laver, in 2014 and, during this process, began research on land-based laver aquaculture technology in 2021. “Pulmuone’s laver aquaculture on land is a method of cultivating and harvesting laver by creating an environment similar to the ocean in a large tank called a bioreactor,” said Lee Da-Jeong, a researcher at Pulmuone Technology Institute. The researcher said, “We are producing 10kg of experimental fresh laver per month and plan to launch various products, including seasoned seaweed, by 2027.” FIGURE 3. Land-based laver farm. Photo provided by Jipyeongseon-Yugsang-Gim Co. K-Gim (Korean Laver) is creating a global sensation, and major companies are competing to cultivate it on land (indoors) instead of in the sea. Companies that have entered land-based laver farming include large companies such as CJ CheilJedang, Dongwon F&B, Daesang Corporation, and mid-sized food companies such as Pulmuone. Why are companies that put profit maximization as their top priority so interested in land-based laver farming? The biggest reason is that the stable supply of raw materials (fresh laver) is disrupted due to recent climate change-induced difficulties in sea laver farming. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 36)
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