Special Report: Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies (ASX:ROO) has partnered with a leading organic hemp grower based in the Czech Republic to progress opportunities in the lucrative organic plant-based meat market.

Roots has signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with Hempoint, part of a “CzecHemp” cluster of companies actively involved in the Czech hemp and medicinal cannabis industry.

CzecHemp is currently collaborating with a number of academic institutions to develop a range of methods to increase hemp protein from seeds.

The agreement calls for Roots and Hempoint to review academic intellectual property, technical development and the sourcing of protein for plant-based meat product initiatives.

Roots has its own plant-based meat department whose proof-of-concept showed a substantial increase of both yield and for peas and beans, as Roots is confident it can achieve similar results with hemp plants.

“There has been very strong interest in Roots’ plant-based meat department and this LOI with Hempoint represents the first agreement the Company has inked off following several inbound enquiries, especially regarding organic substances for plant-based meat,” says Roots executive chairman Boaz Watchel.

“We are very confident this LOI will unlock opportunities in this rapidly growing sector and provide Roots with a springboard into Europe’s large plant-based meats market.”

Cannabis farming in Israel

Meanwhile, Roots is also in the middle of deploying 1,000 heat exchange probe units at the My Green Fields cannabis farm in northern Israel – the first time Israeli-manufactured heat exchange probes have been deployed on a large commercial scale.

Roots is transitioning the production of its heat exchange probe technology from China to Israel, which will reduce shipping costs and streamline its supply chain.

Roots’ heat exchange probes are inserted into the tops of the cannabis tops and grow bags, simplifying working procedures and lowering installation costs of the company’s Root Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) technology.

The RZTO technology stabilises the plant’s root zone temperature year-round – which is known to be one of the most important ways of promoting plant growth besides water.

The pumps at My Green Fields’ farm should be fully installed by the end of the week, and will be used in the clone production room and throughout the farm’s flowering rooms, using existing heat pumps and water tanks to supply hot or cold water as needed.

This article was developed in collaboration with Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.