By Digna D. Banzon
DAVAO CITY, Feb. 18 (PNA) — A good number of plant growers has leveled up into doing landscaping jobs with the rise of real property business in the city.
Plant grower of ornamental plants and other varieties Vivencio Gallego told the Philippine News Agency that there are 30 registered landscapers in Davao City. This means, these are the growers with business permits issued by the city government.
But what is good with this type of business here is that they could provide jobs to others as they would also need laborers, planters to grow thousands of cover plants.
He said aside from growing the plants in their respective area they rent out vacant spaces within a village or subdivision to grow grasses used for landscaping.
Big contracts cost millions of pesos, he said, adding that this is along very high end subdivisions. It is a trend now in the city that projects either residential or big buildings are accompanied with landscaping.
In our city, Gallego said most of his high end projects are the tropical type which includes trees, ornamental plants including wide area that would need thousands of mini plants and other several types of plants of different shades of colors.
In 201 alone, he had about 8 big projects and his services did not stop after the installation because he is also contracted for care services with separate payment.
Meanwhile, Gallego said they also conduct exhibits on occasions like Araw ng Davao this March and the Kadayawan sa Dabaw in August.
Gallego being the president of the Mindanao Federation of Cutflowers and Plant Growers, Inc. (MINFED) said their group together with Floriculture Industry of Davao, Inc. (FIDI) is getting ready for the March 2015 Araw ng Dabaw exhibit which usually run for a month showcasing the Best of the Ornamental Plants, Best Orchid, Best Waling-Waling orchid, Best Bonsai plants and many others.
He said it is also during this occasion that new plants of new varieties are first introduced to the market.
Last year the newest plant introduced was the Agave Geminiflora of Davao that was marketed at P1,500 per plant.
He said they still has no idea right now what will be the newest plant to be marketed this year as this will be shown by the plant growers when the exhibit opens next month. (PNA)