Government suspends shipments of raw ube

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has suspended the exportation of fresh ube or purple yam, a move expected to protect the country’s much-needed planting materials.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the indefinite suspension would keep planting materials in the country as the industry expands production capacity.

“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,” he added.

The mandate was imposed by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and covers the export of fresh ube and propagative planting materials, whether used for consumption, planting or research.

BPI director Glenn Panganiban said he had notified the Bureau of Customs of the export suspension and ordered plant quarantine stations to stop the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for affected ube shipments.

The agency said the measure serves as an interim safeguard while the government drafts policy and regulatory amendments that will place fresh purple yam among commodities subject to export restrictions.

The move comes as the country seeks to expand ube production and manufacturing to capitalize on surging global interest in the purple-colored root crop.

Among the top ube exports are fresh ube and processed products such as powder, halaya or jam and paste.

These products have reportedly reached Canada, the Middle East and parts of Asia, while further expansion could be gained in the US, South Korea and Europe.

President Marcos had earlier approved a P300-million budget for the ube industry next year to support further expansion.

To further consolidate the expansion of the ube industry, government and stakeholders have formed the United Ube PH Association Inc., which brought together farmers, processors, traders, exporters, researchers and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the BPI and researchers at the University of the Philippines Los Baños are also developing a genetic map for Philippine ube varieties for registration.

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