Vegetable production in the Philippines during the 1980s has been characterized by a yearly fluctuation in the volume of production, a continuous decline in the area of land utilized for cultivation and a continuous increase in the value of production. The national average yield has been consistently low at about 5 t/ha.
A number of biophysical, socio-cultural and economic factors limit the production of vegetables. These include : a) climatic conditions ; b) soil conditions ; c) availability of land for cultivation ; d) per capita consumption of vegetables ; e) availability and cost of seeds ; f) inadequate credit facilities ; g) poor post-handling and marketing practices ; etc.
Vegetable research in the Philippines is carried out at the national, regional and provincial levels, in the areas of crop improvement, crop protection, crop production and management, crop physiology, seed production/technology, and crop processing and utilization. A number of breakthroughs have already been made particularly in crop improvement but research efforts in the future should focus into the following thrusts : off-season production ; production of processing types ; production of temperate vegetables in the lowland ; seed production ; and integrated pest management.
An example of a production technology which has improved vegetable production is the post-rice growing of wilt susceptible but processable tomato varieties.