Suspension on raw ube exports may take at least a year —DA

The suspension on the exportation of raw ube may take at least a year, said Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

The Agriculture chief said that they are still assessing the timeline after it earlier announced the indefinite suspension of raw exports of the purple yam. But the suspension could possibly take until next year.

"Assessing pa kami ng need for our ube expansion...Maybe at least a year," Tiu Laurel told GMA News Online.

"Yes, export ban on planting material, [minimum] of one year," he added.

The suspension was announced last September in a bid to increase domestic production.

The export ban covers ube that could be used as propagative planting material.

The DA earlier said that it is seeking P300 million in funding to expand ube production by 1,000 hectares as it seeks to meet surging global demand for the purple root crop.

Ube is widely cultivated in Bohol, dubbed the Philippines’ “Ube Capital,” as well as in Benguet, Batangas and Quezon.

The country has distinct cultivars, or plant varieties, such as Ubi Kinampay of Bohol and Leyte Ubi, which are considered uniquely Filipino. —KG, GMA News