7–11 months
Growing period
1–6 kg
Typical tuber weight
25–30°C
Best growing temperature
Nov–Feb
Harvest season
What ube needs to grow
Ube (Dioscorea alata) is not fussy about where it grows. The government extension guides agree on warmth, fertile ground, good drainage and steady water while the tuber fills. They do not agree on the ideal soil texture: the ATI Region 7 brochure names sandy loam or silt loam, and the DA Region 02 guide prefers clay loam.
The nutrient a good crop takes out of the ground in the largest amount is potassium. Color comes mainly from the variety. Purple flesh is an inherited trait, carried by genes in the anthocyanin pathway that run far more actively in purple cultivars than in white ones.
Growing conditions from the Philippine production guides
| Factor | What the crop needs | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 25 to 30°C | ATI-7; DA Region 02 gives the same range |
| Soil | Fertile and well drained. ATI-7 names sandy loam or silt loam as best; DA Region 02 prefers clay loam high in organic matter. Both say ube grows in a wide range of soils | ATI-7; DA Region 02 |
| Rainfall | At least 1,300 mm a year | DA Region 02 |
| Water timing | Moisture matters most during tuber bulking, three to five months after planting. Irrigate where the dry season runs past three or four months | DA Region 02; ATI-7 |
| Nutrients | A 35-tonne crop removes about 128 kg nitrogen, 39 kg phosphate (P₂O₅) and 195 kg potash (K₂O) per hectare. Potassium is the largest draw | DA Region 02 |
| Planting density | 20,000 to 27,778 setts per hectare, about 2 to 3 tonnes of planting material | DA Region 02; ATI-7 |
Sources: ATI Regional Training Center 7, How to Grow UBI (Series 1–3); DA Regional Field Office 02, Ubi Production Guide (2012)
Where Philippine ube is grown
The Philippines produced 12,483 tonnes of ube in 2025. Bohol grew nearly a third of it, more than the next three provinces combined. Bohol also gets far more from each hectare: 13.2 tonnes, against a national average of 5.3. A well-grown crop in the production guides yields 18 to 30 tonnes a hectare.
| Province | Production, 2025 (tonnes) | Share of national |
|---|---|---|
| Bohol | 3,931 | 31.5% |
| Cagayan | 1,010 | 8.1% |
| Quezon | 849 | 6.8% |
| Lanao del Norte | 727 | 5.8% |
| Lanao del Sur | 435 | 3.5% |
Source: PSA OpenSTAT, volume of production by province, 2025. Yield per hectare is production divided by area planted/harvested. PSA surveys do not capture backyard and informal plantings, so the true national harvest is larger.
Planting: vine cuttings, mounded soil, and bamboo trellises
Ube is propagated vegetatively, not from seed. Farmers plant setts, cut pieces of tuber held back from the previous season's harvest. A hectare takes 20,000 to 27,778 of them, two to three tonnes of planting material. Because every plant is a clone of its parent, a variety stays true from one generation to the next. If you are planting and need material, we supply verified ube planting materials cut from export-grade tubers.
Planting runs from March to June, once the rains come and the stored setts have broken dormancy. Farmers plant into mounds or raised rows, which drain during heavy rain and keep the ground loose for the tuber.
Ube is a climbing vine, so farmers stake or trellis it, usually with bamboo. The staking is by hand, the weeding is by hand, and the harvest is by hand. Hand weeding is the heaviest labor in the crop, and mulching cuts the number of weedings from three to five down to two (ATI-7).
The ube growing cycle, in months from planting
Source: DA Regional Field Office 02, Ubi Production Guide (2012); ATI Regional Training Center 7, How to Grow UBI
Growing: the months that decide the yield
The vine climbs and does the work for the first months, building the leaf area that feeds the tuber. Around three months after planting it starts forming bulbils, small aerial tubers, in the joints of its stems.
From three to five months after planting the tuber bulks, and this is when the crop needs water most. The guides advise irrigation wherever the dry season runs longer than three or four months. A dry spell in this window leaves healthy-looking vines over a small harvest.
The main disease threats are anthracnose on the foliage and nematodes in the tuber. The DA Region 02 guide treats planting material against nematodes with a hot-water dip before it goes in the ground.
Harvest: by hand, late November through February
Harvest runs from late November into February. The sign is in the foliage: when the vine yellows and dies back, the tuber is mature.
Harvesting ube is entirely manual. Farmers dig the tubers out with a bolo or a pointed digging stick, carefully, because a bruised tuber rots in storage and takes its neighbours with it. A tuber of one to six kilos is ordinary (ATI-7).
Tubers are graded on-farm immediately after harvest. Grading considers size, color at the cut surface, shape regularity, and skin condition. Within purple-fleshed varieties, deeper color goes with higher phenolic content (Cornago et al. 2011). Grade A tubers are set aside for Heritage Reserve processing. Grade B goes to Ani production. Grade C (smaller tubers, cosmetically damaged, or lighter in color) is directed to paste and extract processing where appearance is less critical.
The 7–11 month cycle means the planting month decides the selling month, and most of the country lands in the same short window. You can work out your own harvest window from a planting date and see where it falls against the national peak. If you already have a harvest to move, here is where to sell ube in the Philippines.
Typical harvest grade distribution
Source: Philippine Ube partner farm data, 2024–2025 harvest seasons
Ube grading system
| Grade | Characteristics | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A: Heritage Reserve | Single-origin heirloom cultivars, Kinampay and other prized varieties. Deep violet color. 30 mesh coarse or 100 mesh standard fine powder, with finer grinds to spec. Tubers hand-selected, 2–5 kg. Minimal blemishes. | Premium gelato, artisan ice cream, specialty bakeries, direct-to-consumer retail |
| Grade B: Ani | Multi-farm Dioscorea alata. Medium purple. 100-120 mesh powder. Tubers 1–3 kg. Minor cosmetic imperfections accepted. | Commercial ice cream production, large-scale bakeries, foodservice, soft serve |
| Grade C: Processing | Mixed cultivars and sizes. Lighter purple. Tubers under 1 kg or with cosmetic damage. Suitable for extraction. | Ube paste/halaya production, food coloring extract, ingredient processing |
Source: Philippine Ube internal grading standards
Processing: powder, paste, and full ingredient transparency
After harvest, ube is processed into two primary export forms: powder and paste. Both begin with the same raw tubers but follow different processing paths. Neither uses artificial colors, artificial flavors, or preservatives. Where a process uses a food-grade carrier, we state it plainly rather than hide it.
Ube powder production
The two grades follow different paths. Our Ani powder is spray-dried: the ube is cooked down and dried with a food-grade maltodextrin carrier into a free-flowing powder at 100-120 mesh, giving consistent color and full solubility batch to batch. We disclose that carrier on every spec sheet. Heritage Reserve is produced by a different method tuned to protect its color and aroma, and is milled to order: 100 mesh standard fine dissolves with no grittiness, while the 30 mesh coarse grind is left deliberately larger so the ube stays visible as flecks in a finished bake. Neither powder uses purple sweet potato or artificial color, and any spray-drying carrier is always stated, never hidden as bulking filler.
Ube paste (halaya) production
Tubers are boiled until soft, then mashed and cooked slowly with coconut milk in large vats, stirred continuously for 2–3 hours. Traditional halaya recipes use only ube, coconut milk, and a controlled amount of sugar. The extended cooking concentrates flavors and creates the dense, jam-like texture that makes halaya versatile as a filling, spread, or ingredient base. No artificial colors or preservatives are added.
Ube product forms comparison
| Product Form | Shelf Life | Best For | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh Tuber | 6–7 months (cold storage) | Ube halaya production, fresh cooking, specialty restaurants | Ventilated crates, 12–16°C, 70–80% humidity. Unbruised tubers only |
| Ube Powder | 12–24 months (sealed) | Ice cream, bakeries, beverage manufacturers, long-distance export | Cool, dry conditions below 25°C; airtight packaging |
| Ube Paste (Halaya) | 3–6 months (sealed) | Ready-to-use filling, pastry base, foodservice | Ambient (sealed); refrigerate after opening |
Sources: fresh tuber storage, DA Regional Field Office 02, Ubi Production Guide (2012). Powder and paste, Philippine Ube product specifications
Export: cold chain, documentation, and traceability
Getting ube from a Philippine farm to an international buyer requires different logistics depending on the product form.
Fresh tuber export
Fresh tubers are a living crop and keep well if handled properly. Packed in ventilated crates and held at 12–16°C and 70–80% relative humidity, sound tubers store for six to seven months (DA Region 02). Bruised tubers do not, so careful harvest and packing decide how far fresh ube can travel.
Powder and paste export
Powder and paste ship at ambient temperature, making them far more practical for international trade. Ube powder in moisture-barrier, multi-layer foil-lined bags has a shelf life of 12–24 months. Ube paste in sealed containers lasts 3–6 months. Both can travel by sea freight without refrigeration, significantly reducing shipping costs.
Export documentation
Every shipment includes a phytosanitary certificate (issued by DA-BPI), a certificate of origin, and full traceability documentation linking each batch to the specific farm and harvest date. For buyers in the US, EU, Canada, and other regulated markets, we ensure compliance with destination-country import requirements, including FDA registration for US-bound shipments.
For detailed import logistics and regulatory requirements, see our import guide.
Data Sources
- [1]ATI Regional Training Center 7: How to Grow UBI, Volume 1, Series 1–3. Agricultural Training Institute, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, c. 2017–2018. Growing conditions, NSIC variety yields and maturity, tuber size, harvest timing and storage
- [2]DA Regional Field Office 02: Baquiran, P.B. et al. Ubi Production Guide. Department of Agriculture, Cagayan Valley, High Value Crops Development Program, 2012. Growing period, soil, rainfall, planting density, nutrient removal and cold storage
- [3]PSA OpenSTAT: Vegetables and root crops: volume of production and area planted/harvested by province, ube, 2025View source
- [4]Lebot, Lawac & Legendre 2022: The greater yam (Dioscorea alata L.): a review of its phytochemical content and potential for processed products and biofortification. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
- [5]Cornago, Rumbaoa & Geronimo 2011: Philippine Yam (Dioscorea spp.) Tubers Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity. Philippine Journal of Science 140(2): 145–152
- [6]DA-BPI: Bureau of Plant Industry, issuer of phytosanitary certificates for plant product exports
Source ube direct from Filipino farming families
Every batch is traceable to the farm and farmer who grew it, from the field to your facility, with full documentation.
- All export documentation handled
- Phytosanitary certificates included
- Experience shipping to 20+ countries
- Packaging meets international standards