Philippine ube production is set to receive support from a $34.1 million US grant aimed at expanding cultivation and connecting growers with overseas buyers. The five-year initiative is expected to benefit about 12,500 farmers, the Philippine Department of Agriculture said.
How the grant will support growers
US Ambassador Lee Lipton announced the grant, valued at about 2.1 billion Philippine pesos, on October 22, 2026. It is being provided through the US Department of Agriculture’s Food for Progress Program.
US nonprofit TechnoServe will lead the project and provide technical expertise. Funding will come from the proceeds of selling nearly 40,000 metric tons of US soybean meal.
Lipton pointed to demand for ube as an ingredient among food and beverage manufacturers in the United States and other markets. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the assistance would help meet global demand and increase farmers’ incomes.
Philippine ube production expansion plans
The Philippine agriculture department had previously allocated 300 million pesos for an initial expansion intended to double the area planted with ube. That phase forms part of a wider plan to add 1,000 hectares in the first year.
The department is budgeting about 850,000 pesos per hectare for farm development, facilities and production. The initial rollout is timed for the November 2026 harvest and propagation cycle, and 10 varieties have been identified for large-scale cultivation.
Tiu Laurel said expansion would proceed gradually to avoid the supply imbalances and production problems experienced by other high-value crops after abrupt increases in overseas demand. Philippine Statistics Authority data showed ube output rose 22.5% to 1,681.67 metric tons in the second quarter of 2026, from 1,372.91 metric tons a year earlier.
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