The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)- XII has extended almost P3 million worth of financial support to Greenland Agritech Ventures (GAV) for its plant tissue culture laboratory expansion and diversification.

DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the assistance was extended to GAV, owned and managed by Dr. Remedios S. Flamiano, under the agency’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).

He said the another round of assistance extended to the firm  was aimed at funding the upgrade of its laboratory facilities for its expansion and diversification into abaca, bamboo, and high value ornamentals.

"The DOST-12 extended funding support of P2.95 million to enable GAV to optimize the micropropagation protocols for commercial production of abaca, bamboo, and aglaonema; put up a coco-coir extraction facility for large scale production of coco coir, and coco-coir based products such as organic fertilizer and organic potting mix; and to establish a water distilling facility at optimal capacity for laboratory requirement,” de la Peña said. 

The DOST chief noted that in 2014, the agency’s SETUP interventions helped the firm significantly improve its overall management, including its technical operations "which resulted in its remarkable growth, enabling production of over million seedlings annually in the succeeding years.”

"Due to the huge impact made to the banana industry, the company was awarded as the Best SETUP Adopter for Region XII in 2018 and was chosen as the National DOST-SETUP winner in the same year,” he said.