The Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture has opened an 81-square meter plant quarantine facility in its Manila headquarters to expand its floriculture treatment services, the DA said in a press release

The project aims to help Filipino exporters to grab a bigger slice of the $73-billion global cutflower market.

The quarantine facility has a pre-wash area, two dipping chambers, seven stainless steel matting for drying, a cabinet for reagents, fans and a polycarbonate roof for quick drying, the DA said.

The two dipping chambers can accommodate a rough estimate of 200 pieces of large size plants and about 1,600 pieces of smaller plants in a span of eight office hours.

BPI requires all ornamental plants, cutflowers and seedlings to undergo chemical treatment prior to export to eliminate pests associated with these commodities. The Plant Quarantine Service provides free treatment for these products.

The Philippines exports ornamentals and cutflowers to Japan, Korea, Canada, and, recently, to Singapore, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Guam, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Denmark.

In 2007, The Netherlands was the top importer of Philippine cutflowers with 37.8 MTs; followed by Japan, 12.9 MTs; and Hong Kong, 5.4 MTs, the press release added.*

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