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February
14 is Valentine’s Day, when many people look to flowers to
express their love and affection.
Roses,
daisies, chrysanthemums, poinsettias, gladioli,
carnations, lilies—they all mean the same thing: Thinking
of you.
But
imagine a business in which highly perishable products
have to be delivered on one single day—that’s the
challenge that Valentine’s Day poses for the cut-flower
industry.
The
cut-flower industry is geared to this day, from growers
down to local florists, who start preparing for the big
day weeks in advance.
In the
highlands of Benguet, where most flowers come from, King
Louis Farm general manager and president Efren Chatto said
Valentine’s Day sales are massive.
With the
price of a Valentine’s rose pegged as high as P180 to P250
a dozen, as well as many other varieties of flowers,
sellers easily cleared their overheads, Chatto said.
He
believes that searching something new and assuring the
best-quality flowers are the major considerations to have
beautiful assortments of blooms available in our markets
today.
“There are
many selections of flowers available now on what to give
on Valentine’s Day. Although we have been producing all
throughout the year, we are forced to produce more in time
for February,” Chatto said in a tour of his farm with the
BusinessMirror.
Biggest
flower farm
His lack
of expert knowledge, and his corresponding success in the
industry, makes his story enchanting and an interesting
one.
Chatto
recalls that after years of experimenting and endless
process of acquiring technical skills and knowledge, he
decided to venture into the cut-flower business.
King Louis
Farms Inc., put up in 1983, is the biggest cut-flower farm
not only in Baguio but across the country. It started with
4,000 square meters and has since grown to more than 10
hectares in different locations in Benguet, Bulacan and
Bohol. It has a labor force of about 150 to 180, depending
on the season.
The
varieties of cut flower King Louis Farm produces have
grown extensively. It is a sprawling farm with myriads of
splendid flowers in vibrant colors like chrysanthemums,
poinsettias, carnations, roses, liliums, gladioli, liatris,
potted mums, impatients and many more.
“The
business always presents a challenge for me every day. But
I do believe that if you have passion in what you do, then
everything follows,” Chatto said.
Chatto,
who hails from a family of politicians in
Bohol, said they have been adopting modern farming technologies
that are being used by other countries operating large
cut-flower farms like drip irrigation and sprinkler
systems, large cold storage facilities, and other
technologies.
Chatto and
other local growers are now assisting farmers who are in
search of alternative business venture besides vegetable
production.
Now, his
farm has distributors in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu,
Bacolod, Iloilo, Bohol and other cities all over the
country.
King Louis
Farm is not only concentrating its production for the
local market. It is also engage in producing varieties of
flower seedlings for export to the Netherlands, the United
States and some parts of Asia.
Rosy
outlook for cut-flower exports
For
cut-flower exporters, who are eagerly bracing up for
Valentine’s Day exports, the season ahead seems to be
promising.
A positive
sentiment in the market, coupled with the appreciation of
almost all currencies, including the peso against the
dollar, could see Philippine exporters rake in the
business this time even as a hike in freight costs by
almost 20 percent could dent their net realizations.
Industry sources estimate that rose exports from
Philippines could be higher by about 25 percent this
Valentine’s.
“Production has been good this year and with a strong
market demand, we should be exporting more than last
year,” said Chatto.
Chatto
said big opportunities on cut-flower business lie on
exports because of our country’s climate, which is good in
producing high-quality flowers that can compete globally.
“We have a
good chance to compete in the cut-flower industry. We just
need support from the government to improve the
farm-to-market infrastructures and other agricultural
equipment,” Chatto said.
He,
however, laments that some of the problems of small
cut-flower production are limited and inferior production
technologies, inappropriate and inadequate postharvest
technology, poor domestic-marketing schemes, limited
access to world markets, and restrictive government tariff
duties, quarantine procedures and financing.
Asked on
his advice to people starting on the cut-flower business,
Chatto said: “Have patience, focus on the need of your
customers and workers, then your hard work will surely
blossom in the end.” |
