Philippines Suspends Raw Ube Exports to Boost Domestic Production

The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Philippines has announced an indefinite suspension of raw exports of ube, a purple yam, and its planting materials. This measure aims to boost domestic production capacity and prevent Philippine varieties from being used by competing nations amid growing global demand. The suspension, issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) last month, covers fresh ube and propagative planting materials, regardless of whether shipments are intended for consumption, planting, or research. "We severely lack planting material ourselves, and we don’t want to export it to countries that could use Philippine ube varieties to compete with us," the DA stated. Currently, ube's popularity is growing faster than the Philippines' ability to produce it. To meet this rising demand, the department has been supporting researchers in their work to increase ube propagation and develop more varieties. Government projects to enhance the ube industry include utilizing tissue culture, community-based nurseries, and mini-set propagation to expand the supply of planting materials. A portion of the proposed budget for the next year has also been allocated to support the industry. Furthermore, ube stakeholders have formed the United Ube PH Association Inc., a national organization comprising farmers, cooperatives, growers, processors, traders, exporters, researchers, the academe, and government agencies, to strengthen industry collaboration. Source: GMA Money Philippines