Recently, the private sector R&D Minister's Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 2012 (13th) was awarded to the company. Toshitsugu HIROHASHI, chairman of the company, accepted the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award as a result that the achievement titled "Development of Covering Materials for Agricultural Use that Contributed to the Dissemination of Reduced Agricultural Chemicals," which was highly evaluated due to the development of SUNSUN Net featuring excellent ventilation and translucency for prevention of ingress of minute insect pests and Agri Sheet with its weed control effect, excellent durability, and light-blocking effect.

Outline of the private sector R&D Minister's Award project from
the Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Japan Association for Techno-innovation in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries commend persons who rendered distinguished services and give awards, including the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award for R&D work, which is initiatively performed by private sector parties concerning agriculture, forestry and fisheries and other related industries, for the purpose of contributing to the further development and enhanced motivation of persons who are involved in such R&D work.



Outline of Distinguished Services
The product Insecticide Sunsun Net is a bug-proof net that uses polyethylene monofilament yarns that offers superior air permeability and translucency to spun yarns, the raw material used for conventional products. The product was developed as a recyclable net that has excellent durability.
To deal with insect pests that are becoming more and more micronized and with thrips and whiteflies, different products that satisfy both advantages of fine mesh size of 0.2 mm to 0.4mm and excellent air permeability, by using very thin polyethylene monofilament yarns have also been developed.
The Insecticide Sunsun Net exerts effects not only for protection from insects but also for growth promotion of agricultural crops due to strong-wind reducing and heat insulation effects. In addition, the products are continuously improved including development of related products to prevent proliferation of bumblebees, thereby continuously responding to market needs.

The product Anti-weed Agri Sheet exerts excellent weed-proofing effect thanks to superb durability and light-blocking effect by using polypropylene tape yarns to which the light-blocking stabilizer is added. In addition, the quick-acting water permeability achieved by applying a device to fabric during manufacturing gives great contribution to improvement in the agricultural environment, including prevention of mire and splashes of mud.
Furthermore, we have developed high-quality products featuring superb durability and light-blocking effects by adding refinements to the weaving method, including the products wherein antibiotic properties are enhanced, the products wherein non-halogen flame retardants are added, and the products of white-black reversible specifications wherein titanium-white yarns are used.

The Anti-weed Agri Sheet is used in multipurpose ways, not only for protection from weeds but also for walkways of facility horticulture/open culture, areas beneath electric fences and paths between vegetable fields and rice fields, center medians of roads, and slopes.



Status of Dissemination
The product Insecticide Sunsun Net exerts not only its bug-proof effect but also the effects of heat insulation and the windproof, hail-proof, bird-proof, moth-proof, growth promotion, and early harvest properties. The product Anti-weed Agri Sheet is used in various applications, not only for the weed-proof effect but also for prevention of mire on the walkways between fields and open culture and the whole-surface underlays of hydroponic culture in greenhouses, thereby contributing to dissemination of growing with reduced agricultural chemicals and improvement in the agricultural environment.

Insecticide Sunsun Net – Tunnel Culture/Side-stretching of Greenhouse	Anti-weed Agri Sheet – Walkways between Rice Fields/Slopes