Philippine turns to frozen ube imports to meet surging global demand

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June 29, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — With ube or purple yam booming in popularity, the country has been importing frozen ube as local production fails to meet the root crop’s ever-growing demand in international markets.

Amid the ongoing “purple craze” for the Philippines’ favorite vibrant root crop, the country has allowed the importation of 54,064.97 kilograms of frozen ube in 2025, according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data analyzed by The STAR.

Despite surging demand however, government data showed that frozen ube imports declined by 28.2 percent from 75,299.89 kilos in 2024.

As of the first four months of 2026 alone, the Philippines has imported 10,482 kilos of frozen yam.

The country mostly imports its frozen ube from Vietnam, with shipments amounting to 53,943.5 kilos  from the Southeast Asian country in 2025. The Philippines has also imported the frozen yam variant from Japan.

While frozen ube or processed forms like powder and extracts are allowed to be imported, shipments of whole fresh yam remain prohibited.

An earlier notice by the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry clarified that the country does not import fresh ube as shipments remain subject to strict regulatory requirements.

The DA said that this would prevent the introduction of harmful plant pests and diseases that may threaten Philippine agriculture and food security.

The Philippines has exported about 1.7 million kilos of ube and ube products in 2025, amounting to $3.2 million, according to the PSA.

Key markets include Canada, the Middle East and Asia, while increasing demand has been seen in the United States, South Korea and Europe.

Meanwhile, the government is looking to implement standardization measures for the country’s ube industry, in an effort to plug the country’s more than P10 billion agricultural trade deficit.

The DA said that it has gathered 249 stakeholders, including farmers, processors, exporters, traders and cooperatives to discuss the creation of a steering committee and technical working group (TWG) to serve as a coordinating body.

The coordinating bodies are mandated to define the official scope of ube, standardize raw and processed products and harmonize quality requirements across agencies and exporters.