P65-B Wheat Imports! Tutubo Ba Ang Trigo Sa Klima Ng Pilipinas?

Kahapon, sa San Jorge, Samar, may isang babae na nagtitinda ng homemade Donut na nagtanong sa open forum ng caucus namin kasama si Presidential Candidate Panfilo Lacson at Dra. Minguita Padilla kung ano daw ang magagawa sa mataas na presyo ng harina (wheat flour) at asukal.
“Kapag nanalo kayo na Presidente, puede po bang bumaba ang presyo ng harina?,” she asked referring to wheat flour which is used for baking bread and making Donuts.
Of course, there was no ready answer for that but Ping Lacson was very frank and honest when he told the Donut maker that the increase in the price of flour is a worldwide problem mainly caused by the conflict in Ukraine, one of the major producers of wheat, and he would not make promises that he could not keep.
Since the time bread was introduced to Filipinos by the Europeans and Americans ages ago, we had been dependent on importation since we did not, or had not tried to, grow wheat in the Philippines.
Here is an entry on our wheat imports: “Wheat was the 7th most imported product in Philippines. Philippines imports Wheat primarily from: United States ($810M), Australia ($168M), Romania ($122M), Ukraine ($119M), and Russia ($110M).”
That is a staggering P65-B which we spend every year to buy an estimated 4-million metric tons of imported wheat for food and animal feeds.
In the plane on the way back to Manila from our sorties in Masbate and Samar, Sen. Lacson, Dra. Padilla and I talked about Wheat production in the country.
Back in my quarters in Quezon City early this morning, I researched on Wheat Growing in tropical countries at ang sinasabi ng mga researches, mahirap ito patubuin sa mga maiinit the lugar.
But I found this information very interesting:
“Wheat grows best when the temperatures are warm, around from 21° to 24° C/ 70° to 75° F, but are not too hot. Wheat also needs a lot of sunshine, especially when the grains are beginning to fill out. Wheat grows best in temperatures between 21ºC/70ºF and 24ºC/75º F.”
This is a very important information because we have wide areas in the Philippines with temperatures ideal for growing Wheat including Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur, the highlands of Davao Region, Negros Island, Cebu, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Region.
Perhaps what is needed is just an effort by government to undertake an experiment to prove whether Wheat could be grown in the Philippines or not.
When I was Secretary of Agriculture, I promoted the planting of Sorghum, a largely underrated crop both for food and animal feeds, and allocated P100-M for its development.
Unfortunately, the money which was included in the 2019 Budget of the Department of Agriculture was realigned for other projects after I resigned and the reason presented was that it may not have a market.
Soybeans which many said could not be grown in the Philippines are actually now being grown by a small group of farmers in Surigao del Sur.
It is high time that we should explore Wheat growing in the Philippines and I have friends in Texas, Scott Seeds owner Coby Kriegshauzer, who produce Wheat and Sorghum seeds.
Subukan natin sa Cordillera at sa Bukidnon. There’s no harm in trying.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
(Photo of Donut vendor was taken by Lacson Media Team while photos of Wheat were downloaded from public websites.)