Evelyn Lavia, co-chair of the Mindanao Floriculture Congress (MFC) and founder of Fidi, stated during the Habi at Kape media conference held on Wednesday, November 22, at Ayala Malls Abreeza, that the group strives to showcase the economic potential of floriculture beyond its aesthetic appeal.
“It’s both marketing and for the health and wellness using our ornamental plants not just aesthetically but also for our income generation,” Laviña remarked.
She stated that the MFC strives to reconnect people with nature, particularly the younger generation, by highlighting the financial opportunities in floriculture.
The program acts as a warm-up for the larger congress, which is set for November 2024 and is entitled "Reconnect with Nature, Embrace Floriculture."
Plant exhibitions, sales, a plant competition, and skill training programs will be available at the MCF.
The skill training sessions will be geared for students, but they will also be open to the general public, providing insights into the practical aspects of floriculture. The course will cover fundamental fundamentals of floriculture.
The plant competition, which is open to the public, welcomes particular plant farmers to participate. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the first, second, and third categories.
Lavia emphasized the importance of presenting unusual plant kinds during the Kadayawan season, indicating her intention to do so again in November.
She sees this as an opportunity to assess the floriculture scene in Mindanao, in addition to raising the local market to international standards.
Notably, Tagum City's Floriculture Festival will take place from November 24 to December 3, 2023.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lavia acknowledged the surge in interest in plants, colloquially known as 'plantito' and 'plantita.' She noted a temporary spike in prices even for readily available, inexpensive plants, but emphasized that such cases have significantly decreased over time.
Although exceptional plants can still attract a premium, he claims that internet sales of such plants can fetch between P10,000 and P25,000. She went on to say that there are plants that are considered 'cheap' and are sold for P500.
Meanwhile, the floriculture business in Davao Region has grown into a larger community as officials from adjacent municipalities send stakeholders to benchmark the region's floriculture, ranging from individual growers selling plants and landscaping to plant promoters. According to Lavia, three local government units (LGU) visited Davao City during the Kadayawan season to benchmark the floriculture industry.
Lavia further stated that there are sporadic cases of flowers being exported worldwide from the Philippines, but only a handful are garnering attention.
She stated that if the country could enhance floriculture in terms of tissue and propagation, the Philippines would be able to export decorative plants. She thinks it odd that some plants accessible in the Philippines are imported here.
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