The Philippines remains keen on exporting processed ube as it works to expand the global reach of locally produced agricultural products, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified the indefinite ban on raw ube exports, likely lasting until 2028, applies only to ube meant for planting.
In addition, Tiu Laurel said the Philippine government is ‘100 percent or even a million percent’ supportive of exporting processed ube in whatever form.
‘I want to clarify something: some news reports claim that I am banning the export of ube, but that is not the case,’ Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘To be clear, we are banning the export of ube planting material. Raw ube can simply be cut into pieces and planted, so we are essentially banning the sale of unprocessed, untreated raw ube that could serve as planting material,’ he said.
Moreover, Tiu Laurel explained that the export ban on raw ube aims to develop the local industry and prevent supply issues from 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,’ the agriculture chief added.
Consequently, to support the industry’s development, the DA has sought P300 million to bolster ube production.
Meanwhile, the funding will double the current ube-planted area, with plans to add 1,000 hectares in the first year. Tiu Laurel earlier said that by 2028, the ube planting area will expand fourfold.
On the other hand, the government will allocate about P850,000 per hectare for the initial rollout of farm development and support facilities for the upcoming harvest cycle.
Furthermore, the DA eyes to accelerate the supply of planting materials through minisett propagation, alongside tissue culture and single-leaf nodal cuttings.
‘Farmers and cooperatives will source mother tubers from existing production areas, serving as multiplier farms,’ the agency said.
‘We will secure planting materials to ensure a sufficient supply for local production and prevent other countries from using Philippine planting materials to capture the growing global market.’ it added.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that ube production dropped by 6.7 percent to 12,483.31 metric tons (MT) in 2025.