Ube association proposed to address export demand

BUREAU of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is floating the idea of a purple yam (ube) exporter association to set standards and meet growing international demand for the crop.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. met with members of the ube industry last week to discuss what the market needs and which varieties are available to be planted, and the DA will meet again with exporters this month, Mr. Panganiban said.

Mr. Panganiban cited the need to improve quality via scientific research, as well as guide exporters on the direction of the market.

He said opportunities were missed in previous booms for nata de coco and jatropha — a biodiesel ingredient —  due to the lack of standards.

“If there’s a ‘United Ube Association,’ for example, farmers would know what standards a certain market needs, what science we should include, and who we should talk to in terms of marketing and exporting this to other countries,” Mr. Panganiban told reporters.

Mr. Panganiban also said that the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards will establish the Philippine national standards for the production and export of ube and ube products. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza