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The world wants more ube. Philippine farmers are struggling to keep up
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As ube farmers need more help, the Philippine government is offering less.
PHOTO: JES AZNAR/NYTIMES
Rambo Talabong
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BENGUET PROVINCE, Philippines – In New York City, people line up outside a bakery before it opens to buy a brioche doughnut whose glaze shines a startling purple. In Paris, people sip purple-coloured lattes with a mellow, nutty scent. In Melbourne, a purple tinge gives hot cross buns a gentle sweetness.
The common ingredient in these items is ube, or the Philippine purple yam, and the world’s new hunger for it is starting to strain the people who farm it. The country grows about 14,000 tonnes of it a year and is considered to be the world’s top producer.
