LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—The cold spell hitting Benguet during the months of Decmber to February is not that bad after all, as learned from Provincial Agriculturist Lolita Bentrez in an interview over the week.

When temperature hits six degrees Celsius, this is the best temperature to grow tulips, Bentrez said.

The flowers would mature right away thus increasing sales of the farmers, she said.

The weather in Benguet is very conducive to planting tulips, she said, in fact, flower distributors such as Mom and Pop, and King Louie farms are presently planting tulips as one of their products which is now distributed at their branches in Metro Manila.

The farms are located in the Municipality of Atok, which is commonly hit by frost during the months of November, December, January and February where temperatures would drop to an average of six degrees Celsius.

In fact, mom and pop, she said is presently renting an area of around three hectares, dedicated for the sole purpose of growing tulips.

Before the discovery that tulips could grow in Atok , farmers gambled in planting vegetables during the coldest months of the year as the frost could damage a large area of the farm making them loose a lot of produce.

According to Bentrez, the farmers now know what areas could be suitable for vegetables plants and the areas to avoid as it is frequented by frost occurrence.

The provincial agriculture office is now monitoring the occurrence of frost in the area.

Now aside from vegetable farming, farmers could now shift to planting tulips specially during the cold months of November, December, January and February, she said.

The price for a dozen of tulips in Metro Manila is around 2,000 to 3,000 depending on the size and arrangement.—larry madarang