Listed agribusiness company Calata Corp. said it will invest P80 million in the next two years to build 10 greenhouses for vegetable farming.
Calata vice president for business development Parker Ong said most of these greenhouses would be built in Mendez, Cavite which was suitable for vegetable farming.
“Majority will be built there because we want a cold weather. We opted to build greenhouses because of the climate change. Vegetables normally grow in a consistent climate. Most of the vegetables do not grow during the rainy season,” said Ong.
Calata said it was in talks with Israel’s Netafim Greenhouse in a bid to venture into greenhouse vegetable farming.
The Israeli company is a part of the Netafim Group, a leader in smart irrigation solutions. With 28 subsidiaries, 17 manufacturing plants and 4,300 employees worldwide, Netafim delivers innovative solutions to growers of all sizes, from smallholders to large-scale agricultural producers, in over 110 countries.
Calata also teamed up with the Yupangco Group for the greenhouse project. Calata will provide the funding for the project while the Yupangco group will provide the land.
The company said it proceeded with the construction of the first greenhouse model in Mendez, Cavite at a cost of P8 million.
“Currently all land preparation including the laying of foundation has been completed. It is expected that all the other construction materials which have been shipped from Israel shall arrive on July 25, 2017. Estimated time of completion is three to four weeks from the first day of installation,” said Calata corporate information officer Jose Marie Fabella.