Climate-controlled tulip farm in Quirino touted as Asia’s first
A BOARD of Investments (BoI)-registered company launched Asia’s first climate-controlled tulip farm in Quirino province, which is intended to service domestic demand.
In a statement on Tuesday, the BoI said that the Dutch-Filipino Phinl Corp.’s project is the first and only fully contained and computer-controlled indoor hydroponic tulip farm in the region.
“The success of Phinl’s climate-controlled tulip farm in the country demonstrates our commitment to innovation and sustainability in agriculture,” BoI Executive Director for Industry Development Services Corazon Dichosa said.
“We are proud to welcome pioneers in this field and look forward to contributing to the growth of the floral industry,” she added.
The farm can produce up to 6,000 stems per batch and will directly provide 42 jobs in Maddela, Quirino. It was launched on Feb. 14 with a project cost of P157.4 million.
The BoI said that the project permits the cultivation of tulips in a tropical country. The flower is typically grown in mild to moderate climates.
The raw materials used by Phinl are tulip bulbs imported from the Netherlands and New Zealand.
The BoI said that the climate-controlled farm signifies a leap forward in agricultural innovation and sustainability, demonstrating the country’s capacity for innovation and bolstering agriculture.
Trade Secretary and BoI Chairman Alfredo E. Pascual said that the project is part of the investment promotion agency’s initiatives in championing sustainability in agriculture.
“We have been registering projects that are scalable and leverage the latest technologies. In fact, in the last quarter, we have registered projects (involving) integrated dairy farms, modern vegetable farms, and hybrid seed production, among others,” Mr. Pascual said.
In the last five years, the BoI has also registered projects from agricultural entities like Irradiation Solutions, Inc., Agriserna Tech Solutions, Inc., Nature-Tech-Innovation Group, Inc., Basic Necessity Corp., Denso Philippines Corp. and SL Agritech Corp. — Justine Irish D. Tabile