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Introduction
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The Philippine fruit industry contributes
significantly to the economy in terms of
employment, income, and foreign exchange.
Fruit cultivation and production is an
important source of livelihood especially for
small operators/growers, with 26% having
less than 1 ha (hectare) and 64% with less
than 3 ha. It offers ecological benefits such
as soil erosion control, better microenvironment,
landscape and aesthetic
values, and complements reforestation
and agroforestry activities.
The strength of the fruit sector lies on
its big hectarage, which in 1998 is almost
621,861 ha. The competitiveness of selected
major fruits in the global market especially
fresh is well established. However, the
changing competitiveness across countries
and variations in domestic production may
bring about changes in the country’s export
shares for fruit commodities. As the world
market opens up with full implementation
of the General Agreements on Tariff and
Trade–World Trade Organization (GATT–
WTO) provisions, the fruit industry should
be able to take advantage of the new
opportunities by capitalizing on the strength
of the commodity and addressing the
various problems and constraints affecting
the industry.