Ube catches eye of US agriculture agency

MANILA, Philippines — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made a strong pitch for purple yam or ube to investors, noting that additional investments can plug the production gaps facing the local ube industry amid the ongoing boom of the tuber in international markets.

A report by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) said that potential investments could address key gaps facing the country’s ube production.

The country produced 12,483 metric tons of ube in 2025, with the USDA noting that there is significant room for further expansion due to growing domestic and international demand.

The agency said there is significant opportunity for targeted interventions including nursery development, improved agricultural practices, postharvest and processing infrastructure, direct farmer-to-processor market linkages, cooperative access to formal finance and standards and traceability.

“Strengthening the ube value chain, from input supply and farm production to processing and market linkages, presents significant opportunities for increasing farmer incomes, expanding rural employment and growing agricultural exports,” it said.

The report stated that access to quality planting materials remain limited, while farm production remains fragmented to smallholder farmers operation in isolation.

Likewise, post-harvest facilities remain inadequate, causing significant losses in output due to the lack of sorting, curing and drying infrastructure.

The USDA said farmers still lack market linkages, causing farmers to rely heavily on intermediaries which limit pricing transparency and reduce farmgate prices.

It added that cooperatives and processors face financial barriers from lending institutions due to the lack of financial literacy, weak documentation and insufficient collateral. Farmers have also been weak in adopting technology.

The country also has yet to formalize any standards and geographical traceability for ube.

The USDA added that US food manufacturers have been increasingly sourcing ube-derived ingredients, mainly in puréed or powdered form, for use in packed snacks, beverages and natural food coloring applications.

Despite expanding demand in global markets, domestic production remains fragmented and underdeveloped, the USDA said, which limits the country’s ability to capitalize on growing market opportunities.

Key production region includes Calabarzon, Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.