STARTING today up to July 4, a national conference on the
Floriculture Industry in the Philippines, is being held at the GRF
Resource Center Convention Hall in Roxas City.
With the cooperation of the Capiz Multipurpose Cooperative,
headed by Llora Reyes, this is the 4th national floriculture
congress under the auspices of the Federation of the Cutflower
and Ornamental Growers Association of the Phils., now headed
by Dr. Juliet Rodriguez of Pampanga. Other cooperating
agencies are the Department of Science and Technology, the
city government of Roxas, the province of Capiz, the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Tourism.Overall convention chair Lily Ong says, ''With this event, we
hope to promote our cutflower and ornamental plant business
as well as our seafood industry.''
Ong, the largest ornamental grower in Panay, has a production
area of 7 hectares in Dao and 8 hectares in Panitan.
About 400 cutflower growers, traders, florists and plant
hobbyists are expected to attend. The topics to be discussed
are ''Strengthening Small-Scale Floriculture Enterprises'' by
Walter Steemer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature
Management and Fisheries of the Royal Netherlands Embassy,
and ''Tracking Hot Retail Trends'' by Efren Chatto, past
president of the Federation and general manager of King Louis
Flowers and Plants.
''Exportable Plant Products'' will be discussed by Kazu Kitamura,
a Japanese investor who operates Unigreen company based in
Lipa, Batangas, while ''Guarantee Financing for the Floriculture
Industry'' will be handled by Benel Lagua of Guarantee
Financing of Small and Medium Enterprises.
Also to be discussed are ''Bonsai Culture'' by Mody Manglicmot
Jr., ''Orchid Technology'' by Amy Lubag Arquiza and
''Landscaping'' by Marilyn Espina, a landscape architect. Noted
garden editor Zac B. Sarian will talk on ''Growing Plants for
Money,'' while Dr. Tito Rimando of UP Los Baqos will handle
Postharvest Handling of Cutflower and Cutfoliage.
At the last day, the speakers are Reynold Pimentel on ''Potential
Tropical Plants;'' Ponchit Ponce-Enrile on ''Prospects of Tissue
Culture;'' David Nichols and Dr. Ab Van Peer on ''Plant
Nutrition;'' Cora Purificacion on ''Ways of Selling More Plants;''
Vic Chin on ''Flowering Pot Plants;'' and Eli Bardenas on the
Kunming International Horticulture Expo in China.
Food festival and garden show
IN CONJUNCTION with the three-day congress, a food festival
and a flower and garden show are also held at the Dinggoy
Roxas Civic Center. The guests of honor are the First Lady Dr.
Loi Ejercito, Secretary Edgardo Angara and Rep. Mar Roxas.
Some of the attractions of the shows are the pink Aglaonemas,
several varieties of begonias and other flowering ornamentals
indigenous to Capiz such as the yellow Spathoglottis orchids,
santan, staghorns and other ferns. Introduced species and other
hybrids of orchids, gumamelas, heliconias, cacti and other
succulents are also on sale.
Other events are the seafood festival of which Capiz is known
for, such as the bangus, alimango scallops, blue marlin,
seaweeds, eels, squids, tuna and oysters, among many others.
Included in the program of activities are farm tours and to other
places of interests such as the city's unique museum that was
once a water storage tank; the 18th-century church and the
biggest bell of Asia located in Sta. Monica Church.
High-value crops
ORNAMENTALS and flowers are considered high-value crops.
When I was in Pag-asa Bliss Housing for teachers in the 1970s,
we engaged in gardening in our spare time. I was in
ornamentals, while my neighbors were in vegetables. In each
plot (10 feet by 30 feet) I could produce 300 Serissa foetida
plants in milk tin cans while my neighbors could accommodate
only about 60 petchay plants directly planted on the ground.
After six months, my Serissa, at P5 per plant, would make P1,500,
while my neighbors' vegetables, also at P5 each plant, would
realize only P300.
Although they harvested three times a year, they made only
P900, while the Serissa, which took six months or only twice a
year, made P3,000.
A 6-month-old Serissa plant can be sold at P30. In one year, one
can easily make no less than P18,000. The petchay at present
costs P15-25 each. A P25 petchay with three harvests in a year
of 180 plants will only make P4,500.
Another example is that of the Bahong Multi-purpose
Cooperative in Trinidad Valley. Having considered the flowers
as high-value crops, they now grow roses of Holland variety.
They produced cabbages, potatoes, beans, carrots and other
vegetables.
Jessand Segundo, one of those who initiated in the change of
products from vegetables to cutflowers, says for every square
meter of space planted to roses, they earn more than growing
cabbages or any other vegetable.
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