Production and prices of selected leafy vegetables in Cavite / by Jerson J. Ramos.

Thesis (BSA - - Agricultural Economics) Cavite State University.

Includes bibliographical references.

College of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Natural Resources (CAFENR)

RAMOS, JERSON J. Production and Prices of Selected Leafy Vegetables in Cavite. Undergraduate Thesis. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, major in Agricultural Economics, Cavite State University, Indang Cavite, April 2007. Adviser: Dr. Maria A. Ersando.
The study was conducted to provide information on the production and prices of selected leafy vegetables in Cavite from year 1996 — 2005. Specifically, the study aimed to: determine the annual volume of production and prices of leafy vegetables in Cavite for the last ten years; trend of production of leafy vegetables in Cavite for the last ten years; the high and low production periods of leafy vegetables during the study period; the periods or months of high and low prices for leafy vegetables; and the movement of price of leafy vegetables from month to month. Secondary data were collected from the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, National Economic Development Authority, Bureau of Plant Industry and other agencies concerned with the production and prices of agricultural products. Additional information that are relevant to the study were obtained from the various reading materials like manuals, journals, pamphlets, books and from websites. Seasonal indices were used in describing the monthly price movement of leafy vegetables in the past ten years. The 12-month-moving average method (Sterling Dictionary of Statistics, 1999) was used in computing the seasonal or monthly indices. The steps followed in computing the 12-month moving averages are presented in Appendix A. Tables and figures were used to present and describe the data gathered.
The least squares method for determining the linear regression equation was used to show the general movement of production of leafy vegetables through time. Arithmetic average or mean was used to determine the average price and production of leafy vegetables for the ten-year period under study. Leafy vegetables production was highest in the year 2004 with total annual production of 1296.45 MT, posting a 0.07 percent increase from 1204.79 MT in 2003. The lowest production of leafy vegetables was observed in year 1998 with only 485 MT. This fall was due to the rapid changes in weather condition, demand for commodity, availability of seeds and crop rotation. The average annual production of leafy vegetables during the study period was 920 M.T. The average price of pechay native in Cavite from 1996 to 2005 was P10.107 per kilogram and the average yearly percent change in price was 1.11 percent. The highest average price for pechay native was noted in 2004 which amounted to P14.31 per kilogram. On the other hand, the lowest was observed in 2002 at P6.65 per kilogram only.
The average price of camote tops in Cavite from 2000 to 2005 was P10.17 per kilogram with an average yearly percent change of 0.15 percent. The highest average price for camote tops was noted in 2005 which amounted to P11.24 per kilogram. On the other hand, the lowest price was observed in 2001 at P8.87 per kilogram only. The average price of kangkong in Cavite from 1998 to 2005 was P13.30 per kilogram with an average yearly percent change of 2.52 percent. The highest average price for kangkong was noted in 2000 which amounted to P 19.87 per kilogram. On the other hand lowest was observed in 1999 at P5.00 per kilogram only.
As precautionary measures to avoid price increases during extremely hot season and to keep production much stable, the government should implement programs to install or improve irrigation facilities on areas most affected by dry season and advice growers to use organic fertilizer to maintain productivity. Promotion and information dissemination on production technologies should also be conducted by the local government agencies concerned to further enhance leafy vegetables production in the province. The author also recommend that the government agencies concerned in agricultural production conduct regular collection of data about leafy vegetables production and prices and other data relevant to the industry. Widest dissemination of these data would be quite helpful especially to interested individuals, organizations and agencies.

Submitted to the University Library 05-22-2007 T-3563