Seeds Have Arrived! 2 State Universities Start Wheat, Barley Trial Farms

Wheat and Barley seeds of at least 20 varieties each donated by the owners of Scott Seed Company of Hereford, Texas to our small company, Southseas Agri-Aqua Ventures, Inc. have arrived and will soon be planted in trial farms to be established by two State Universities in Mindanao.
The program which I initiated and supported by SAAVI Chairman Panfilo Lacson aims to discover the specific Wheat and Barley varieties which would perform well in selected areas in Mindanao to support the Food Self-Sufficiency Advocacy in the Philippines.
The trials will be conducted in partnership with the Central Mindanao University of Bukidnon and the University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, Cotabato which signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last year with former Sen. Ping Lacson, representing SAAVI, and Scott Seed Company owner Coby Kriegshauser during the latter’s visit to the Philippines last year.
While it had long been believed that both Wheat and Barley could not be grown in tropical Philippines, Coby Kriegshauser whom I befriended when I was Secretary of Agriculture said that is just a myth.
“With the correct variety and ideal area, Wheat and Barley could be grown in the Philippines,” Coby assured me.
Both CMU and USM have vast areas for experimental farming.
The trial farms are critical in the country’s Food Sufficiency Program because the Philippines had largely been dependent on imported Wheat and Barley.
The country imports 7.5-million metric tons of Wheat for food and animal feeds every year while $4-million worth of Barley is imported annually.
Coby Kriegshauser, owner of Scott Seed Company of Hereford, Texas, had committed to provide technical support for the Wheat and Barley trial farms.
He said that with proper research and development, the Philippines could plant and produce its own Wheat and Barley.
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Agricultural Research will be engaged in the conduct of the Wheat and Barley Trials for official validation and documentation.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
(Photos of Wheat and Barley and logos of CMU and USM were downloaded from public websites.)