In the Philippines, the demand for ornamental plants is rising at a ‘fast rate’, driven by the population’s increasing purchasing power and the working population, who are mostly millennials, choosing to acquire more condominium units, as reported by the International Association Of Horticultural Producers. The landscaping industry is also growing, following the development of urban areas in the country.
With the goal of addressing the growing demand for vegetable seedlings and ornamental plants in the country, Farm-Ready, the first and largest professional seedling nursery in the Philippines and a subsidiary of multinational vegetable seed company East-West Seed, inaugurated one new 3,400 square meters top vent greenhouse and three 1,152 square meters greenhouses in its main office in Capihan, San Rafael, Bulacan on May 5, 2022. This brings the total greenhouse space of Farm-Ready to 14,152 square meters.
The new ornamental greenhouses have a capacity to produce around 60,000 flowers per year and are expected to boost Farm-Ready’s ornamentals production by 50%. The ornamental plants that will be grown in the production area include gerberas, dianthus, vincas, petunias, sunflowers, marigolds, and herbs.
“The ornamentals industry here in the Philippines is flourishing. In recent years, we have seen growing demand, especially during the pandemic, when more people became interested in growing plants at home. The government’s strong support in promoting agrotourism has also encouraged many farm owners to convert their farms into agrotourism sites, and most of them are looking for ornamentals plants to beautify their farms and attract visitors,” said Ricardo Reyes, Business Unit Manager of Farm-Ready.
He added that Farm-Ready is also encouraging farmers to grow ornamental plants together with vegetables. Ornamentals can provide an additional income source, and some ornamentals like marigolds are proven to repel common vegetable pests, thus potentially reducing farmers’ expenses on pesticides.
“This expansion is part of our mission to bring innovative products and services that can improve the livelihood of farmers and promote sustainable farming practices,” added Reyes.
For more information:
Farm-Ready
www.farmready.ph