Europe looms as big market for 'ube'

EUROPE looms as a potential market for ube (purple yam), Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt Maria Yvette Banzon-Abalos said.

In an interview with The Manila Times, Banzon-Abalos said that in terms of volume and application, ube “may not be compared directly to coconut because we are still among the top coconut producers in the world.”

Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt Maria Yvette Banzon-Abalos

But she said she would like “to tell the world that the Filipinos are more than coconut or more than what they think or they know about the Philippines.”

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is keen on promoting ube along with other agriculture products like calamansi, turmeric, pili nut, cacao and ginger, Banzon-Abalos said.

“It might be a stretch to think about it that way, but in my humble world, I think there is potential for ‘ube diplomacy,'” she said.

Banzon-Abalos said ube diplomacy was “inspired by a lot of the great things in the world that started with humble beginnings and a lot of resistance, suspicion.”

“But I think that ube is that a non-political, exciting, noble thing that the Filipinos can be known for, and I think it deserves a chance to be seen by the world as a unique offering by the Philippines, by way of our cultural connection to it,” she said.

It is also one way of highlighting aspects of Philippine culture, such as fiestas.

“Filipinos are known for … our interpersonal skills and our ability to be happy and resilient despite all these, in the face of challenges. I think we can make that connection and maybe ube can be that channel,” Banzon-Abalos said.

“From what I see, just the sheer excitement that ube elicits from Filipinos, the sheer willingness by Filipinos to let go of, you know, even political positions, come together as a community who loves this root crop. It’s just astounding so I think it’s worth a shot,” she said.

Banzon-Abalos said some would even say that the official national color of the Philippines is ube.

“It’s the blue and the red of our Philippine flag combined. It’s a neat way to present ube distinctly a Filipino brand,” she said.

A tuberous root vegetable, ube is one of the most popular ingredients in Filipino desserts and pastries, such as the halo-halo.

It is also highly in demand in food processing.

However, the local industry faces challenges that prevent it from realizing its full potential.

Ube is usually grown in small patches of land, particularly in Ilocos, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Ube production in the country reached 30,064 tons in 2006, with Central Visayas the biggest producer with 21,849 tons.

Bohol alone accounts for 21,240 tons of that volume, according to the DA.

Production rose at an average rate of 2.5 percent yearly since 2000. The total area planted to ube was 6,001 hectares, but the national average yield was only 5.01 tons per hectare in 2006, it added.