A smartphone is indispensable even in the tea plantation?

August 1st 14:30

Kagoshima Prefecture is the second largest producer of tea in Japan.

Kagoshima tea is used in TV commercials and branded products of major beverage manufacturers that you see in convenience stores and supermarkets.

I was surprised when I went to the tea plantation to cover the production and harvest.

Nowadays, smartphones are indispensable even in the tea fields.

(Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Reporter Kotaro Inomata)

From veterans to AI The “changes” occurring in the tea plantation

It is a tea plantation in Soo City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

I interviewed him in May this year.

The tea plantation was ready for harvest.

The important thing is to determine when to pick the tea leaves.

According to interviews with local farmers, it is said that it takes more than 10 years to know when to pick, and it is said that experienced veterans have played this role.

However, the person in charge of a major beverage maker got a "smartphone" and a "tablet".

With this, it is said that you can judge when to pick it.

Mr. Hikaru Yoshida, a major beverage manufacturer:

“The amount of amino acids is one of the indicators of the umami of tea, and the amount of fiber indicates the degree of maturity or hardness of the buds. increase".

By taking pictures of tea leaves with a tablet, we were able to obtain useful data for determining when to harvest them.

amount of amino acids and fiber.

AI (artificial intelligence) calculated the estimated value from the captured image.

If tea is harvested late, the yield will increase, but the amount of amino acids will decrease and the quality will deteriorate.

This system, which can be easily estimated using a smartphone or tablet, was developed by major beverage manufacturers ITO EN and FUJITSU.

From the spring of this year, it has been introduced on a trial basis in tea plantations in 7 districts in 5 prefectures, mainly in Kyushu, such as Kagoshima and Miyazaki.

AI learns from 8500 images How does smartphone diagnosis work?

How can you tell "Umami = amino acids" and "Firmness = fiber content" just by looking at images?

There was a huge amount of accumulated data.

It is known that when the amount of fiber contained in tea leaves increases, the amount of amino acids decreases.

Therefore, I started shooting tea leaves from the year before.

I have analyzed the image and component data by examining the amount of amino acids and fiber in the tea leaves that I photographed.

About 8,500 images of tea leaves were collected.

Based on information such as the date and time, location, and growth stage, we organized it and let the "AI" learn.

The relationship between the image of "tea leaves" and the ingredients was derived, and a system was created that can estimate "amino acids" and "fiber content" from images of tea leaves.

Mr. Hikaru Yoshida:

“I don’t know if you are just starting tea production, but veteran farmers judge when to pick tea by the feel of the tea leaves. We make it possible to evaluate with objective numerical values.”

Expectations for cost reduction and operational efficiency

How do tea farmers perceive it?

We interviewed an agricultural production corporation that has contracted with a major beverage maker and produces tea in 70 locations, including Soo City and Shibushi City in Kagoshima Prefecture.

This corporation has introduced a machine that analyzes the ingredients of tea leaves, but the price is about 7 million yen.

It is said that it is necessary to bring tea leaves from the tea plantation and put them in this machine.

The agricultural production corporation expects that the introduction of the new system will lead to cost reduction and operational efficiency.

Hideharu Shigenobu, Management Manager of Fairy Tale Farm

"If you can get rough data on the fibers contained in tea leaves just by taking an image with your smartphone, you can make a judgment on the tea plantation. The technology of the machine that crushes the tea leaves is also amazing. I thought, but I feel like I'm making more progress than that."

AI also schematizes the taste of tea

Furthermore, a technology has been developed in which "AI" estimates the taste from the image of "unrefined tea" before it is finished as a product.

This pentagon that came out when shooting with a smartphone.

It expresses the amount of "amino acids" and "tannins" that are the source of astringency.

A technology developed by a company in Fukushima Prefecture that uses AI to analyze the taste of vegetables and fruits is applied.

In the background, there is a sense of crisis about the decrease in farm households.

Behind the development of these technologies is a sense of crisis about the further decrease in the number of tea-producing farmers.

According to a survey conducted every five years by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of farmers and groups producing tea has decreased by more than 15,000 in the last ten years due to the aging population.

The challenge is how to secure a stable supply of tea leaves.

Takashi Sato, Section Manager, Major Beverage Maker

"The number of tea farmers is steadily decreasing, and we feel a sense of crisis in procuring raw materials due to labor shortages and aging populations. We would like to support with IT and AI technology. I believe that it is important to create an environment in which production can continue with peace of mind.

“Digital Transformation” Advances in Agriculture

New technology with AI.

Preparations are underway with the aim of full-scale introduction from the spring of next year.

I think many people usually buy tea at convenience stores and supermarkets, but there are various products and I feel that they are popular with consumers.

On the other hand, when I interviewed the site, I learned that the consolidation of tea plantations is also a factor, but the number of tea farmers is decreasing, and there is a sense of crisis among manufacturers that ``something must be done''. .

It has been said that it is difficult for new farmers to grow tea because it requires the planting of tea trees and skillful techniques.

Through this interview, I would like to expect that DX = digital transformation will change the way of production, which will lead to an increase in the number of new farmers.

Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Reporter

Kotaro Inomata Joined

the station

in 2004 After working at Maebashi, Hakodate, and News 7, he currently belongs

to the military.