THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday that P17 million had been allotted to fund the development of ube and other root crops this year.
Spokesman Arnel de Mesa said the DA had ongoing research and development initiatives with institutions like the University of the Philippines in Los Baños and Diliman aimed at boosting the propagation of ube planting materials.
The Philippines is considered a top global producer of ube.
While there is no specific data for the root crop, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country exported $1.4 million worth of yam products in 2024.
Fitch Solutions unit BMI previously reported that one risk to ube's long-term commercial value was the shortage of planting material as ube is usually grown from cut-up pieces.
Another issue raised by BMI was the possibility that other countries like Vietnam and Indonesia could compete with the Philippines given that ube is relatively easy to grow in tropical climates.
De Mesa said the DA was working on establishing a geographic indication (GI) for ube, which will serve as protection for the local commodity.
"If you have a GI, that's a protection already that ube is known to [have originated from here]," he said.
De Mesa also said that DA wants a higher budget for ube and other root crops for 2027.
"The government gave some funding of about P17 million for now, but their intention is to increase it by 2027 specifically for research and development, propagation of planting materials, and promotion for export,” he said.