<p></p><p>According to the report, titled “Costs and Returns of Selected Agricultural Commodities 2012 to 2014,” the production cost of cashew nuts per kilogram averaged P4.60 in 2014, while the farm-gate price during the period was P20.17. In addition, the maintenance costs incurred in producing cashew nuts averaged P2,784 per hectare last year, while gross earnings amounted to P17,414 for a yield of 597 kilograms per hectare. This made the net of all costs and returns reach an average of P14,666 per hectare. <br></p> <p>The second-most profitable agricultural commodity was pineapple, with a production cost of P1.96 per kilogram, as compared to the farm-gate price at P7.86 per kilogram. This translated to a net gain of P3.02 for every peso investment. On a per-hectare basis, the production cost of pineapple averaged P79,590, while the earnings amounted to P319,674 for a yield of 40,671 kilograms per hectare. The net of all costs and profit average P240,085 per hectare in 2014. <br></p> <p>Farmers also had a net gain of P2.92 for every peso investment in carrot production, making it the third commodity with the highest return of investment (ROI), the PSA report said. The cost of carrot production per hectare averaged P92,235. With a yield per hectare of 14,364 kilograms, gross earnings reached an amount of P361,686. Meanwhile, the agricultural commodity with the highest recorded ROI growth in 2014 was papaya, based on the same report. PSA data showed papaya registered a net profit-cost ratio of P0.50 last year, 257 percent higher than the recorded net gain of P0.14 in 2013. <br></p> <p>The net gain of garlic in 2014 also jumped by 150 percent to P1.15 for every peso investment from P0.46 recorded in the previous year. This is the second-largest ROI growth in 2014. On the other hand, the net gain of durian last year decreased by 31 percent to P0.49 for every peso investment from P0.71 in 2013. Farmers’ net gain for tomato production also declined by almost 20 percent to P0.81 for every peso investment, as compared to P1.01 in 2013.<br></p><p></p>