THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) is seeking P300 million in funding to expand ube production by 1,000 hectares as it seeks to meet surging global demand for the purple root crop.
“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,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
Under the proposed funding, P850,000 per hectare would be allocated for farm development, support facilities and production, with the first harvest targeted for November 2026.
The DA said 10 ube varieties have been identified for large-scale production. It also seeks to expedite the supply of planting materials through minisett propagation, tissue culture and single-leaf nodal cuttings.
The agency said mother tubers would be sourced from existing production areas, with selected farmers and cooperatives serving as multiplier farms.
“Planting materials will be secured to ensure sufficient supply for local production and prevent other countries from using Philippine planting materials to capture the growing global market,” the DA said.
The DA recently indefinitely suspended the export of raw ube as it seeks to increase domestic production.
The department reiterated that the ban only covers ube that could be used as propagative planting material.
“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,” Tiu Laurel said.
Ube is widely cultivated in Bohol, dubbed the Philippines’ “Ube Capital,” as well as in Benguet, Batangas and Quezon.
The country has distinct cultivars, or plant varieties, such as Ubi Kinampay of Bohol and Leyte Ubi, which are considered uniquely Filipino. (GMA News)
