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The Department of Agriculture is seeking P300 million to expand ube production as global demand for the purple yam grows
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The funding is intended to double the current area planted to ube, with a broader target of adding 1,000 hectares in the first year
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The DA estimates an initial investment of about P850,000 per hectare for farm development, support facilities and production
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The program is timed for the November 2026 harvest and propagation cycle
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Ten ube varieties have been identified for large-scale production
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking P300 million to initially expand ube production, with the program expected to at least double output as global demand for the purple yam grows.
The amount will support the expansion of the area currently planted to ube, with the DA targeting an additional 1,000 hectares during the first year of the broader program, the agency said in a statement.
The department is budgeting about P850,000 per hectare for farm development, support facilities and production. The initial rollout is being timed with the November 2026 harvest and propagation cycle.
Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government intends to develop the ube industry gradually to avoid supply and production problems that have affected other high-value crops following surges 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 has identified 10 ube varieties for large-scale production.
Reliable supply chains
DA undersecretary Philip Young, who oversees High-Value Export Crops and Agri-Fishery Export Development and Promotion, said the expansion is part of the department’s effort to establish reliable supply chains for export-ready commodities and widen overseas markets for Philippine agricultural products.
The DA plans to accelerate the production of planting materials through minisett propagation, tissue culture and single-leaf nodal cuttings.
Mother tubers will be sourced from existing production areas, while selected farmers and cooperatives will serve as multiplier farms to increase the supply of planting materials.
The department also plans to secure planting materials for local production and prevent other countries from obtaining Philippine planting materials and using them to compete in the expanding global ube market.
Raw ube export restriction
Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel clarified that the government’s recently issued policy indefinitely restricting the export of raw ube does not cover ube exports in general but specifically targets 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,” he said in a media release.
“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,” he added.
The agriculture chief affirmed full support for exporting processed ube in any form.
