Protect Philippine ube

Our beloved ube, that quintessential and famed purple delicacy, is having a moment on the global stage.

In case you missed it, ube is taking the world by storm. It’s like Japanese matcha or Colombian coffee. Even The New York Times took notice. Last year, it published a report on soaring demand for ube: The World Wants More Ube. Philippine Farmers Are Struggling to Keep Up (Dec. 29, 2025).

Our government cannot afford to waste this purple craze. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry must ensure that ube farmers and the rest of the industry receive the necessary support so that we do not lose our moment in the spotlight.

When The New York Times published its report last year, our Business Section did a comprehensive follow-up in a four-part special report published last week. I was shocked to read about some of the challenges the industry has been facing.

And with urgency, I urge the government to examine these problems and ensure we protect the Philippine brand of ube, especially now that the world has taken notice of our beloved purple yam.

The special report, authored by our correspondent Jasper Arcalas and his UST students Micah Pascua and Shaynee Lee Macaraeg, tackled problems hounding the industry beyond climate change and planting materials. It also covered the insights of a rising ube exporter, government budget support being sought for the ube industry and the opportunities and ways forward for ube beyond food use. The article also provides historical and archaeological insights into ube.

Filipino ube

But I want to particularly highlight the need to protect the brand.

In the special report, Alonzo Nieves, a New Zealand-based Filipino entrepreneur, pointed out that some countries are exporting ube and marketing it as Filipino ube.

“If you buy ube anywhere in the world, the likelihood is that it’s going to be produced in China, which is insane to me. And I thought that should not be possible,” Nieves says.

He noted that ever since ube gained global recognition, countries like China and Vietnam have begun producing their own ube to take advantage of the purple craze.

Against this backdrop, Nieves said the government should consider banning the export of raw ube or tubers to resolve the local shortage of planting materials and prevent other countries from being able to produce our indigenous varieties.

Nieves estimated that about 64 percent of global ube exports are processed in China and then marketed abroad as “Filipino ube.”

Alarming

That, to me, is quite alarming, and authorities should immediately address this.

We do not want to miss the boat again on a craze that is entirely about our indigenous ube.

If we do not protect our Filipino ube brand and allow the unlimited export of raw ube, we may waste a golden opportunity to hitch a ride on the growing demand for our very own product.

The next step is to support our very own ube farmers.

The report, quoting Bathes Bathan, an agricultural economist from University of the Philippines Los Baños, noted that ube farmers are resource-constrained and not well-integrated into the value chain, so they do not fully realize their potential gains from both domestic and international markets.

“In short, the ube industry is marred by a plethora of problems: farmers lack technical know-how and value-adding capacity, have small land holdings and insufficient planting materials, while undeveloped farm-to-market roads and processors struggle to maintain a consistent supply. Technically, as experts emphasize, there are no economies of scale,” the report noted.

Lance Chua, an agricultural economist from Ateneo de Manila University, said it’s hard to pay higher prices to farmers because they do not have the capacity to create value-added products.

Our government must strive to change this and allot a bigger budget to help farmers by teaching them to create ube products with greater value and ensuring that they have the capability to participate in the global arena.

The new gold rush is purple, and I hope that our government does not waste this golden opportunity.

MBC reminds senators of their mandate

The Makati Business Club, like many of us, hopes to see the Senate restore its credibility.

Here is its statement:

“The Makati Business Club respectfully reminds all our senators that you were elected by the people to serve the people and not pursue personal, political or business interests. The Senate President in particular represents the entire Senate as its institutional head, chief executive officer and legal representative.

“As such, restoring the credibility and integrity of the Senate as an institution rests to a large extent on the Senate President, who serves as a moral compass, administrative guardian and public face of the institution. If the public perceives the Senate President as purely partisan and as not possessing the necessary independence and moral ascendancy, public confidence in the institution is eroded.

“At this important moment, we encourage senators to remain guided by the Constitution, uphold institutional responsibility and keep the broader national interest at the center of the process. Will you prioritize long-term democratic stability over short-term political survival? History will judge you by your actions during this critical period.”

I reprinted the MBC statement with the hope that our senators will realize the gravity of their actions or inactions.

Will they finally listen?

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.