METRO PACIFIC Agro Ventures (MPAV), a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), opened a 3.5-hectare vegetable greenhouse complex on Tuesday in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Metro Pacific Fresh Farms (MPFF) is planned for eventual expansion to seven hectares, MPAV CEO and President Jovy I. Hernandez told reporters.
The first phase of MPFF, consisting of six greenhouses, promises yields equivalent to five times those of traditional farms, promising up to 500 metric tons of fresh vegetables annually.
The farm can produce around 60,000 heads of lettuce each month.
Aside from leafy vegetables, the greenhouses also produce melons and tomatoes, among others, which will be sold under the brand name More Veggies Please.
“The vision behind these investments is an agriculturally independent Philippines,” MPIC Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.
“We want to help build a nation that’s capable of feeding all of its people.”
The greenhouse is equipped with technology developed by the LR Group, an Israeli agribusiness company.
The technology includes a nutrient film technique for leafy greens and drip irrigation systems for other types of vegetable, enabling efficient growing with less resources than in conventional agriculture.
This allows vegetables to be grown using 90% less water and land, it said.
The greenhouses are designed to withstand typhoons as strong as Signal No. 4 in the Philippine storm warning classification, indicating winds exceeding 185 kph.
The MPFF facilities require less chemical pesticides and fertilizer, cutting exposure to contaminants by 90-99%.
Mr. Hernandez said MPFF removes middlemen from the value chain, with the produce — harvested every 27 days — directly delivered to its clients such as hypermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and food processors right after packaging.
Businesses can partner with MPFF in customizing their supply based on demand trends and customer preferences.
The company seeks to put up 10 satellite sites across the country in 10 years, according to Mr. Hernandez.
The Board of Investments granted the vegetable farm project green lane status in 2023 in recognition of its status as a strategic investment. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza