PH gets $34 million deal from US for ube development

MANILA — The Philippines has bagged a $34.1 million deal from the United States to develop the ube value chain in the country.

In a statement, the US Embassy in the Philippines said the project will support around 12,500 Filipino ube farmers over the next five years. 

The project will be implemented by TechnoServe, an international non-profit organization that uses “the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.”

US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said ube is “an important raw material for innovative food and beverage manufacturers around the world, including the United States.”

“This award will further strengthen the U.S.-Philippines diplomatic and economic partnership, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year,” Lipton said.

The official said the project will be funded through the sale of nearly 40,000 metric tons of U.S. soybean meal. Soybean meal is a rich protein source added to feeds for farm animals.

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in May described ube as the country’s new export star. In 2025, the DTI Export Marketing Bureau recorded $3.06 million worth of exports of ube-based products. 

Many of the products went to the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Middle East.

In June, the Department of Agriculture said it has distributed P2.6 million worth of ube planting materials to farmers in Leyte and Bohol.

But in September, the government indefinitely suspended exports of fresh ube or purple yam, alongside its planting materials, to safeguard domestic stock amid surging global demand.