The Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has launched a large-scale program to expand the country’s ube (purple yam) industry, distributing over 60,000 planting materials worth nearly ₱2.6 million to 900 farmers in Bohol and Leyte. This is BPI’s first major ube planting material distribution under the High Value Crops Development Program, implemented in partnership with the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops).
The move responds to growing local and international demand for ube, which has gained popularity worldwide in products such as desserts, ice cream and beverages across North America, Europe and Asia. Agriculture officials stated the initiative aims to boost production, raise farmers’ incomes and create new export opportunities.
From June 15 to 17, monitoring and validation activities were conducted to assess the utilization of the distributed materials, gather feedback from beneficiaries and evaluate initial results. Teams visited farming communities in designated towns of both provinces to document progress, address challenges and guide future support programs.
Aside from providing planting materials, the government also offers technical assistance and capacity building to help farmers improve productivity. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. noted that developing high-potential crops like ube supports the national goal of narrowing the country’s agricultural trade gap, targeting to reduce the over US$10-billion annual deficit while strengthening the competitiveness of Philippine agriculture.
