The government will work on establishing a national standard on fresh purple yam (ube) in 2027 as part of efforts to strengthen the tuber’s Philippine identity given the massive demand of the domestic and international markets for the crop.
Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) Chief Science Research Specialist Alpha Lanuza told the BusinessMirror that it targets to include the creation of a Philippine National Standard (PNS) on fresh purple yam in the pipeline next year.
BAFS, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), is mandated to ‘formulate and enforce standards of quality in the processing, preservation, packaging, labelling, importation, exportation, distribution, and advertising of agricultural and fisheries products.’
‘We’re still waiting for the FDC’s [Food Development Center] research on color and flavor as well as the BPI’s [Bureau of Plant Industry] molecular characterization so these can be included in the PNS,’ Lanuza recently told this newspaper.
She noted that establishing a national standard on purple yam proves crucial at a time when global demand for Philippine ube grows at breakneck speed, owing to its expanding popularity that has muscled its way into overseas cafes and restaurants.
‘The standard will provide clear and consistent requirements for the safety, quality, grading, handling, and marketing of fresh ube, supporting regulation and strengthening the competitiveness of Philippine ube in domestic and international markets.’
Furthermore, Lanuza pointed out that the PNS on purple yam could safeguard the identity of Philippine ube.
This, as the DA flagged existing bottlenecks in domestic purple yam production that choke off supply, including fragmented supply chains and inconsistent quality standards.
‘The standard can also provide a recognized technical basis for identifying and distinguishing Philippine fresh ube, including its molecular characteristics and unique flavor and color attributes,’ Lanuza said.
‘This can help protect and strengthen the identity and market position of Philippine ube while supporting its development as a high-value agricultural commodity.’
The DA recently slapped an indefinite ban on exports of fresh ube to safeguard the country’s planting material given the stiff competition among producers to meet booming global demand. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/09/11/phl-bans-exports-of-purple-yam-as-global-demand-soars/).
The move excludes value-added products, such as powdered ube, ube halaya, and paste.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told the BusinessMirror that the temporary ban would protect the country’s planting material from a potential wave of poaching among other nations. Ube is propagated by cutting a whole tuber into small pieces.
‘We don’t want to export planting material. We severely lack it ourselves and other countries might use it to compete with us,’ he said.
The DA noted that its strategy is centered on building an ample stockpile in the domestic market before ramping up exports of the crop as local production lags behind soaring demand.
To boost output, the government has introduced a swath of interventions, including expanding production of planting materials through tissue culture, community-based nurseries, and the mini-sett propagation technique.