Metro Pacific Agro Ventures Inc. (MPAV), a subsidiary of Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), is looking at the viability of venturing into large-scale production of strawberries and blueberries in the Cordilleras.
In an interview, MPAV President Jovy I. Hernandez said, “We went to Benguet and we think there are opportunities for us to pursue the production of strawberries and blueberries in greenhouses.”
Hernandez said the Cordilleras is suitable for growing fruits that require high elevation, and these include berries and not just vegetables.
He noted that, “There are a lot of farmers in the Cordilleras producing from greenhouses. The difference is that, while there are greenhouses in the Philippines, we’re the only ones who are doing it at scale.”
“There are a lot of exciting opportunities with greenhouses,” and MPAV has already started cultivating different types of lettuce and other green leafy vegetables as well as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers in its large greenhouses in Bulacan.
Noting the high price of lettuce in grocery stores, Hernandez said, “Part of our objective is not only to increase supply but also, hopefully, we’ll be able to get better price points.”
MPAV’s greenhouse business became operational this year, starting with the calibration of equipment and the planting of its nurseries, which have a capacity to hold 100,000 seedlings at any given time. He said the first harvest facility is set to be launched on March 25, 2025.
The firm has a total of eight large greenhouses in the first phase of its project, with the first greenhouse dedicated to green leafy vegetables. It has already been planted with five variants of lettuce, including romaine, as well as red and green crystal lettuce.
“We will be producing at least 60,000 heads of lettuce every single month all year round. That’s about 12 metric tons (MT) per month and 144 MT annually. That’s just one greenhouse… we have six of those,” Hernandez said.
He said the other five greenhouses will house cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum peppers, and other vegetables.
“The total capital of the six greenhouses, once [they’re] fully operational and live, will be about 600 to 700 MT of vegetables annually,” Hernandez said.