While public investment for the rice sector has been substantial in the past years, amounting to almost 60 percent (PhP22.56 billion) of the 2009 AFMA fund, the allocations for high value and export commodities such as fruit trees, vegetables, tree crops and fisheries have been inadequate. Net returns from vegetable and fruit tree production are higher than from rice production by a range of PhP5,000-100,000 (BAS, 2009).
The opportunity cost of underinvesting in other commodities is therefore very high. Focusing on commodities where we have comparative advantage will not only result in increasing income but also improving access to food, higher purchasing power, and enhanced overall welfare of the rural sector.