The Philippines will be home to Asia’s first and only fully contained and computer-controlled indoor hydroponic tulip farm as Dutch-Filipino company Phinl Corporation launched its investment this month.

The Board of Investment-registered company Phinl Corporation, headquartered in Maddela, Quirino can produce up to 6000 stems per batch and room for further expansion, aiming to meet the increasing demand for high-quality tulips in the country.

The project cost of Phinl Corporation’s investment is P157.4 million, launched last 14 February 2024 at the Raffles Salon in Makati City.

The company said 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.

Climate-controlled tulip farm

“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," according to BoI executive director for Industry Development Services Corazon Dichosa.

The BoI said the company's innovative project marks a significant milestone in the local agricultural industry as it can 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.

Cold storage facility

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, stored in a cold storage facility to ensure optimal preservation.

The Netherlands is the world's main producer of commercial tulip plants, producing as many as 3 billion bulbs annually, the majority for export.

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

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.

The unique approach allows for year-round production, constant quality and higher yields compared to traditional outdoor or greenhouse methods.

“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 chairperson 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,” Pascual added.