The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will maintain its aggressive push to expand Philippine exports as it seeks to build on the country’s record export performance last year.

Speaking at the opening of the DTI’s Bagong Pilipinas National Exporters’ Fair 2026 at SM Megamall on Wednesday, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the government is particularly optimistic about agricultural exports while also seeing strong demand for advanced manufacturing, critical minerals and semiconductors.

Biggest players

“[T]he biggest players now where we can see an increase [are] in the agriculture sector. This is a big opportunity especially for the farmers. For coconut [exports], we have grown [by] 34.4 percent, and we have seen potential also in bananas, pineapples,” she said.

Roque highlighted the performance of the country’s ube exports, describing the crop as a “rising star” in overseas markets, with Starbucks outlets in the United Kingdom adding ube beverages to their menus.

“Last year, we were able to sell 3.6 million US dollars of ube and we can really see it growing. If you notice[d], Starbucks in the UK already has an ube latte, so we are really expecting the rise of ube,” she said.

Ube in Starbucks UK

Starbucks UK introduced its Ube Vanilla range of beverages as part of its Spring 2026 seasonal menu, retailing for about £7.35 to £8.80, depending on the size and variant. Starbucks has also introduced ube-inspired beverages this year in several other markets, including the United States, Ireland, France and Germany, underscoring the growing global popularity of the Filipino root crop.

Roque said the Marcos administration’s export drive builds on a record year for Philippine merchandise exports. The DTI earlier reported that merchandise exports reached an all-time high of $84.48 billion in 2025, up 15 percent from $73.27 billion in 2024.