Leyte LGU plans greenhouses in container vans

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The Leyte provincial government is now planning to adopt a farming technology abroad, which uses container vans as greenhouse gardens.

“Rain is a friend to farming,” but when typhoon strikes, agriculture is one of the very vulnerable sector, Governor Dominico Petilla told The Freeman, as he vouched the idea of the greenhouse gardens for farmers to stave off their losses during typhoons.

"When hit by typhoon, the only thing to do next is to replant. They will not stop. Yes, there will be damage but this is God's will," Petilla said, citing other technology that could minimize the damage caused by typhoons on the farms, although these greenhouses may be very expensive.

"One person suggested us to utilize empty container vans as greenhouses. Greenhouses are very expensive, but then it has climate control," Petilla said. But farmers can "practically produce anything because it (greenhouse), although very costly."

"My point is, in several years, how many times do typhoons land fall so that in the end we would like to put up those greenhouse container vans and eventually compare the cost," he said.

The governor added: "Over time, it will turn out that farming cost (with the greenhouse container van) is expensive but safe from typhoon, while in the farm, the expense is less but when the farm products become damaged they increase in price just the same."

Petilla said he already gave an assurance that this technology will be piloted, in some farms in the province. “Our farmers are already technical-minded and educated, and teaching them will not anymore be difficult.” The governor, whose flagship agriculture-based project More Income in the Countryside (MIC) has made Leyte a potential supplier now of tropical hybrid of fruits and vegetables never before grown in the province like strawberries and lettuce, assured ample supply of container vans for the project, including those donated by the Korean Army “Araw.”

Petilla said he will test the greenhouse technology with a farmers’ association in Leyte before going full blast with the plan.

As of now, there are 119 farmers associations in the province getting the support of the provincial government through MIC and are now supplying fruits and vegetables to markets in the country and abroad. (FREEMAN)