Thailand's first cool fresh market

The Betagro Group, a leading agro-industrial conglomerate, expanded the cooling ventilation technology developed for its livestock industries to bring a cool, fresh atmosphere to the giant Bangkok fresh market.

The system, which covers the market's 10,000 square metres, cost Bt13 million to install. It has been so successful that other fresh markets are queuing for the same treatment.

The company now expects to install cooling ventilation systems in fresh markets at Bang Phli in Samut Prakan, Pran Nok in Bangkok and Talad Thai in Pathum Thani. The system to be installed at Bang Phli will cost Bt15 million.

The technology was developed by a Betagro subsidiary, B International and Technology, in a research project conducted in conjunction with the National Science and Technology Development Agency.

Betagro Group executive vice president Nopporn Vayuchote said the VenTech climate controller developed by the project was designed to optimise disease-free living conditions for the group's "closed farming" of poultry and pigs. Essentially, it promotes optimum livestock growth.

"Motivation for the [fresh market] project came from the fact that the typical fresh market is generally hot, humid, congested and often gives off bad odours. From Betagro's point of view it was clear that proper ventilation was the solution to the problem. With our long and extensive experience of highly effective cooling ventilation systems in our animal and poultry farming operations, we were very happy to cooperate in this pioneering project," Nopporn said.

The VenTech system differs from conventional air-conditioning by making use of ventilation and directed airflow to disperse warm air and replace it with cool, maintaining a pleasant interior temperature. Importantly, the system uses about one-fifth of the energy needed by conventional air-conditioning.

The feedback from vendors, workers and shoppers at the Ying Charoen market has been overwhelming.

The market's managing director, Parinya Thammawattana, said the market now provided a cool and inviting atmosphere that would lead to better hygiene and longer shelf-life for vendors' products.