Government suspends shipments of raw ube

The Department of Agriculture in the Philippines has temporarily halted the exportation of fresh ube, also known as purple yam, in order to safeguard the country's essential planting materials. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. explained that the indefinite suspension would help keep planting materials within the nation as the industry expands its production capacity.

He emphasized that the country itself is in dire need of planting materials and does not wish to export them to other nations that might use Philippine ube varieties to compete with them.

The suspension, which covers fresh ube and propagative planting materials, was implemented by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and applies to shipments intended for consumption, planting, or research purposes. BPI director Glenn Panganiban informed the Bureau of Customs of the export prohibition and instructed plant quarantine stations to cease issuing phytosanitary certificates for the affected ube shipments.

The government's decision serves as an interim measure while it drafts policy and regulatory amendments that would categorize fresh purple yam among commodities subject to export restrictions. This comes as the country aims to boost ube production and manufacturing to take advantage of the increasing global interest in the purple-colored root crop.

Major export destinations for fresh ube and processed products such as powder, halaya (jam), and paste include Canada, the Middle East, parts of Asia, the US, South Korea, and Europe. President Marcos had previously authorized a P300-million budget for the ube industry to support its further expansion.

In an effort to consolidate the growth of the ube industry, government authorities and stakeholders have formed the United Ube PH Association Inc., which encompasses farmers, processors, traders, exporters, researchers, and other stakeholders. The BPI and researchers at the University of the Philippines Los Baños are also working on developing a genetic map for Philippine ube varieties to register them.

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