Delbros unit expands vertical farm in Navotas City

A UNIT of Delgado Brothers Group (Delbros) has expanded an urban vertical farm project in Navotas City in a move aimed at helping food sufficiency.

In a statement on Monday, Good Greens & Co. (GGC), Delbros’ vertical farming solutions unit, said it turned over eight additional vertical farm towers to Navotas City on June 22.

The turnover expanded the project into a 12-tower urban vertical farm. To recall, GGC launched a four-storey aeroponic farm in October last year.

“The project, in partnership with the Navotas City Council and the Boy Scout of the Philippines (BSP), is considered to be the tallest in Metro Manila and aims to continue cultivating a sufficient and self-sustainable food source as restrictions are still placed for food transportation due to the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation,” GGC said in the statement.

According to GGC, the 700-square meter vertical farm towers will allow green produce to be grown indoors and will be available to nearby communities in Navotas.

It added that the towers allow higher yields since they are not affected by bad weather conditions and provide a more efficient method of growing crops due to less land needed for planting compared to traditional farming.

“These vertical farm towers can create additional employment opportunities for the surrounding communities as it opens the public to a possible career in the field of plant health, horticulture, food safety, integrated pest management, production and packing, as well as facilities and maintenance,” GGC said.

“Added benefits for these vertical farm towers include health security as the food crops will be grown in computer-monitored sanitary buildings offering little risk of contamination by bacteria such as E. coli. Additionally, these towers will also produce much cleaner air for the community as each can act as a greenland which absorbs carbon dioxide and contaminants in the air,” it added.

GGC President Simon F. Villalon said the vertical farm towers offer a viable solution to solve agricultural issues such as farmland fatigue, greenhouse emissions, and pesticide run-off.

“We see this model as a sustainable and viable model that urban areas can adopt, and it holds promise for locally grown and sustainable produce,” Mr. Villalon said.

Moving forward, GGC aims to produce vertical towers that will yield from an initial of 4,000 plants to 10,000 plants to meet market demand and help in community and national development.

Delbros has business interests in logistics, transportation, technology, and food production, and has over 20 subsidiaries and member companies locally and internationally. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave