• The Philippines bans export of fresh ube indefinitely.
• Local producers can’t keep up with global demand.
• Authorities fear rival ube production as it the sector grapples to meet demand.

From specialty beverages to desserts, ube-flavoured products have gained traction across the globe, transforming the once niche ingredient into a potential export growth driver.

The appeal of ube, fuelled by consumer interest in novel flavours and visually distinctive ingredients, has led industry observers to describe it as “the new matcha”.

Demand for ube, from fresh roots to processed products such as powder, jam, and paste, is rising faster than growers can produce.

This supply crunch has fuelled concerns that exporting local varieties could potentially enable rival producers to develop competing products as the Philippines works to expand and strengthen production.

“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,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

This has led the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to suspend exports of fresh ube, including propagative planting materials intended for consumption, planting or research.

The country’s immediate priority is to rebuild its planting-material base and expand domestic supply before pursuing further export growth.

This would help ensure that the Philippines can meet rising global demand while retaining its competitive advantage in ube production.

Strengthening the sector

The Philippine government has been intensifying efforts to develop the ube industry and capitalise on growing demand for the crop.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved a PHP300m (US$4.8m) budget for the ube industry for 2027 to strengthen production and organise the sector.

In addition, the DA is supporting BPI and the University of the Philippines Los Baños in a project to genetically map Philippine ube varieties.

The work is intended to protect native varieties from biopiracy, establish crop authenticity in export markets, and support the development of higher-yielding and more resilient varieties.

Earlier this year, BPI and the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) launched a large-scale initiative to boost production and increase farmer participation.

More than 60,000 planting materials, valued at nearly PHP2.6m (USD42,232), were distributed to farmers across Leyte and Bohol in the Visayas.

The materials reached 900 farmers through more than 60 farmer groups across 22 towns and cities in key ube-producing areas.

The programme was the first large-scale initiative of its kind focused on ube cultivation and forms part of the DA’s High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), which aims to increase production and improve farmer incomes.

More recently, the DA announced the establishment of the United Ube PH Association, a national federation designed to unite stakeholders across the country’s ube industry and strengthen the crop’s position in domestic and international markets.

United Ube PH was officially registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in August as a non-stock, non-profit organisation representing the Philippine ube industry.

“This organisation gives the ube industry a stronger advocate and a clearer path to market. We want Philippine ube to become one of our export winners, and that means building an industry strong enough to meet global demand while ensuring our farmers capture more of its value,” said Tiu Laurel.