The Ormoc City government is establishing a demonstration farm for ube as Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez pushes to make the crop a national agricultural priority.
At least five hectares have been identified for the pilot farm, which aims to showcase ube production and encourage more farmers to venture into cultivating the high-value crop.
“Currently, we are preparing our land for ube production. We are fortunate that the VSU (Visayas State University) has available tissue-cultured planting materials,” Gomez told reporters on Tuesday.
The lawmaker was referring to the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) at the Visayas State University campus in nearby Baybay City. The center produces tissue-cultured planting materials of Ube Variety VU-2, which is recommended by the National Seed Industry Council.
“For a long time, ube was not given priority. We only realized recently that this is a golden crop,” Gomez said.
On Aug. 2, Gomez filed House Bill No. 10225, which seeks to establish a comprehensive national framework for the development, promotion and protection of the Philippine ube industry.
The proposed Philippine Ube Industry Development Act aims to transform the country’s iconic purple yam into a globally competitive agricultural commodity, while creating more opportunities for Filipino farmers and rural communities.
Among its key provisions are the declaration of ube as a National Priority Crop, the creation of a Philippine Ube Industry Council, and strengthened support for research, production, processing, branding and export promotion.
“Ube thrives in our soil, and we have many vacant areas that can be used for its production. This can be achieved with government support,” Gomez added.
Despite its cultural significance and growing popularity, ube production in the Philippines continues to face major challenges, according to PhilRootcrops.
“Demand for ube-based products has risen significantly in both domestic and international markets. However, farmers often struggle to meet this demand due to declining production levels, limited access to resources and the predominance of small-scale farming systems,” the research center said on its website.
The latest available data from PhilRootcrops showed that national ube production declined from about 30,074 metric tons in 2006 to around 14,000 metric tons in 2020, reflecting a significant drop in supply.
Commonly known as purple yam, ube is widely cultivated in the Philippines and other tropical countries. PhilRootcrops said the crop is characterized by its vibrant purple flesh and belongs to the group of tuber crops that develop swollen underground storage organs capable of producing new plants, similar to potatoes and other yam species.
In Filipino cuisine, ube is a staple ingredient in popular desserts such as ube halaya, halo-halo, cakes, pastries and ice cream. (PNA)
