Ube production gets P300M expansion push

The government is targeting an additional 1,000 hectares of ube production in the first year of a planned expansion aimed at increasing supply and positioning the Philippine purple yam for the growing export market.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking P300 million for the initial rollout, which is expected to at least double the country’s current ube production area. The agency is budgeting about P850,000 per hectare for farm development, production and support facilities.

The initial expansion is being timed with the November 2026 harvest and propagation cycle as the government works to establish a more reliable supply base for the commodity.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government intends to develop the industry gradually to avoid supply disruptions that have affected other high-value crops following sudden increases in overseas demand.

“We want to steadily develop the ube industry, which has captured global taste buds, so we can limit, if not avoid, the missteps we made with previous high-value crops that drew overseas demand,” Tiu Laurel said.

The program will focus on 10 ube varieties for large-scale production. DA Undersecretary Philip C. Young said the expansion is part of efforts to build dependable supply chains for export-ready commodities and widen international markets for Philippine agricultural products.

The DA will boost planting material production through minisett propagation, tissue culture and single-leaf nodal cuttings. Mother tubers will be sourced from existing farms, with selected farmers and cooperatives tapped as multiplier farms.

The government is also securing planting materials to support domestic production and prevent other countries from using Philippine planting materials to compete in the international market.

Tiu Laurel clarified that the government’s policy restricting raw ube exports does not cover processed ube products. The measure specifically targets unprocessed raw ube that can be used as planting material.

“I just want to clarify something. There was some news that came out saying that I am banning the export of ube itself. That is not the case.

To be clear, we are banning the export of ube planting material. Raw ube can simply be cut into pieces and planted, so essentially, what we are banning is the sale of unprocessed and untreated raw ube that could be used as planting material.

However, we are 100% or even a million percent in support of exporting processed ube in whatever form.”