Iloilo seeks bigger share of global ube market
TAPPING UBE’S POTENTIAL. Representatives of the Iloilo provincial government and industry stakeholders discuss strategies to develop the local ube industry, including a proposed nursery in Cabatuan, amid growing global demand for processed ube powder.
Iloilo Provincial Government
The Iloilo provincial government is exploring ways to expand the province’s ube industry, with plans to establish a nursery in the town of Cabatuan as an initial step toward developing an export-oriented supply chain.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias recently met with representatives of the Institute of Contemporary Economics (ICE), industry experts from Mindanao, and personnel from the Provincial Agriculture Office and the Office of the Provincial LEDIP Officer to discuss strategies for developing the local ube agri-industry.
Among those who attended were Marco Adriane Escudero, president and chief steward of Santo Domingo Farms Ventures Inc., and Padiernos Alover, vice president of JPC Golden Alliance Trading Inc., also known as Maharlika Ube.
The provincial government sees growing global demand for processed ube powder as an opportunity for Iloilo to strengthen its agricultural sector, address supply shortages and position the province as a production hub for export-quality ube.
The proposed nursery in Cabatuan is being considered as an initial intervention to support the planned industry expansion.
Banias said the initiative supports Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s goal of broadening and strengthening Iloilo’s agricultural sector.