Asia’s first climate-controlled tulip farm blooms in the PH

Making investments bloom in the Philippines, Phinl Corporation, a Board of Investments (BOI)-registered company, has launched Asia’s first and only fully-contained and computer-controlled indoor hydroponic tulip farm in the country.

With a capacity to produce up to 6000 stems per batch and room for further expansion, Phinl aims to meet the increasing demand for high-quality tulips in the country. Each stem is grown locally and freshly harvested in the country to deliver to Filipino tulip lovers. The facility directly provides 42 local jobs, with the potential for technology transfer, upskilling, and further growth as the company expands production in the coming years.

“The success of Phinl’s climate-controlled tulip farm in the country demonstrates our commitment to innovation and sustainability in agriculture. We are proud to welcome pioneers in this field and look forward to contributing to the growth of the local floral industry,” said BOI Executive Director for Industry Development Services Corazon Dichosa.

The Dutch-Filipino innovative project located in Maddela, Quirino marks a significant milestone in the local agricultural industry as it is able to successfully grow top-quality tulips in a sub-tropical climate. Tulip flower bulbs are usually found in countries with mild to moderate climates, therefore making the Philippines’ tropical climate an unstable environment for growing tulips due to high temperature and humidity levels.

The main raw materials used in the project are tulip bulbs, which are imported from the Netherlands and/or New Zealand, depending on the season or availability. These are stored in a cold storage facility to ensure optimal preservation.

Phinl adopts a technology that is similar to hydroponics, a method of cultivation that does not use soil but instead uses an inert medium to ensure optimal conditions for growth. Tulip forcing is done in a high-tech indoor hydroponic farm equipped with cutting-edge vertical farming technology from leading Dutch specialist partners.

Further, the facility operates in a completely closed environment, ensuring full control of temperature, humidity, and light intensity. This unique approach allows for year-round production, constant quality, and higher yields compared to traditional outdoor or greenhouse methods.

At the launch Phinl also showcased their Tulip TukTuk, fashioned after an original Piaggio Ape Classic that was fully converted and customised to become a Dutch tulip cart. Tulip stems retail at PHP295 per piece.

In addition to revolutionizing the local floral industry, Phinl Corporation’s climate-controlled tulip farm signifies a remarkable leap forward in agricultural innovation and sustainability. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and expertise, this pioneering project not only showcases the Philippines’ capacity for innovation but also promises to bolster the country’s agricultural sector, providing employment opportunities and contributing to economic growth.

“The Phinl project is a clear example of our initiatives at the BOI, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, that champion sustainability in the agricultural industry. We have been registering projects that are scalable and leverage the latest technologies. In fact, in the last quarter, we have registered projects on integrated dairy farms, modern vegetable farms, and hybrid seed productions, among others,” DTI Secretary and BOI Chairman Alfredo Pascual said.

“It can be noted that some of these are in areas traditionally considered a challenge, if not downright impossible for the Philippines,” Sec. Pascual added.

In the past five years, BOI has registered agriculture-related projects such as Irradiation Solutions, Inc. (ISI)’s construction and operation of a Commercial Irradiation Facility using Electron-Beam Technology Rizal; Agriserna Tech Solutions, Inc.’s use of pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide drone sprayers for banana and pineapple plantations in Davao del Sur; Nature-Tech-Innovation Group Inc.’s production of natural foliar fertilizers in Batangas; Basic Necessity Corporation’s Cavite-based commercial production of bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts to supply open markets in Metro Manila; Denso Philippines Corporation’s Batangas-based commercial production of various vegetables using hydroponic technology targeted towards food-related businesses and schools throughout the county’s central business districts; and SL Agritech Corporation’s propagation of hybrid rice parental seeds in Kalinga, to name a few.