“The future of the Philippine ube will not be determined by demand alone—it will be determined by what we do today to strengthen the entire system behind it.”
NEUST Vice President for Research, Extension, and Training (VPRET) Dr. Jean Guillasper emphasized this as she addressed participants at the Hybrid Technical Forum on Ube Production, Technology, and Value Chain Development held on September 16, 2026, at the Mini Convention Center, NEUST Sumacab Campus.
Dr. Guillasper further called for transforming ube from a promising crop into a stronger agricultural industry that contributes to food security, rural livelihoods, innovation, and Philippine competitiveness in the global food economy.
The initiative of the NEUST Research Services Department, in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) and Advocates for Research and Innovation in Agriculture, Incorporated (ARIA Inc.), brought together representatives from Local Government Units in Nueva Ecija, the Department of Agriculture (DA), educational institutions, farmers, cooperatives, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in the ube industry.
Central to the discussions was the proposed Ube Network, a collaborative framework co-led by NEUST and ARIA Inc. that seeks to strengthen farmer education, research support, and network coordination across the ube value chain.
The framework links production and planting materials with value-adding and marketing, recognizing the roles of higher education institutions and other SUCs in tissue culture and technical expertise, LGUs in nursery development, acclimatization and multiplication, and farmers in the cultivation and production of quality ube.
It also highlights the role of SUCs with food processing facilities in product development and value addition, as well as market linkages with buyers and enterprises to help improve market access and respond to demand and price signals.
Meanwhile, former Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Executive Director and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) consultant Dr. Reildrin Morales highlighted the potential of ube to contribute to farmers’ income and rural development.
“Ube is not simply a crop—it is an opportunity to bridge gaps, an opportunity to raise farmers’ income, to build a strong rural economy, and an opportunity to put another distinctly Filipino agricultural product in a global market,” Morales said.
ARIA Inc. President Mr. Ricarte Castro presented the rationale and objectives of the forum, along with the key production areas and agro-climatic suitability of ube.
The forum also featured discussions on production trends, export performance, and the import paradox of the ube industry, presented by ARIA Inc. Senior Consultant Dr. Gil Villancio.
Dr. Elmer Enicola, Director of the Institute of Plant Breeding of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, discussed planting material supply and tissue culture scale-up.
Meanwhile, ARIA Inc. Senior Consultant Dr. Josephine Garcia discussed production technology and pest management, while Mr. John Lerry Medina, Research Assistant II of the DA Regional Field Office III, presented post-harvest processing, value chain linkages, and market access.
Open forums and discussions were also conducted between sessions, providing onsite and online participants an opportunity to raise questions, share insights, and identify concerns affecting the ube production industry.
Echoing these initiatives, NEUST President Dr. Rhodora Jugo expressed the support of the university community for the ube industry.
“As a university, we do not claim that we can develop the ube industry by ourselves. What we can commit are the resources that define us as academic institutions—our people, our expertise, our research capabilities, our facilities, our students, our extension mechanisms, and our ability to build partnerships,” said the President as she set the commitment and the next steps in this endeavor.
Through an audio-visual presentation, Dr. Bernadette De Los Santos, PCAF Executive Director, highlighted that the forum was just the beginning of a more productive conversation for the ube industry.
“We believe that meaningful development is achieved when government, civil society, academe, industry, and other stakeholders work together,” said Dr. De Los Santos.
Beyond knowledge-sharing, the forum also provided an avenue for stakeholders to explore future collaborations in ube production, research, processing, and market development, with the proposed network serving as a platform for connecting farmers, LGUs, SUCs, government agencies, researchers, and industry partners.
Through stronger coordination across the value chain, the initiative aims to promote sustainable ube production, enhanced farmer incomes, and locally rooted innovation, contributing to the continued development of the Philippine ube industry.
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