Wheat can be grown in Phl

Manila, Philippines - Wheat, the crop that was once known to grow only in temperate regions, can  be grown successfully in the Philippines, according to a former official of the National Food Authority (NFA).

“Wheat varieties such as those coming from wheat-producing countries which have high yielding potential, could also be grown  in western Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Southern Quezon,  Central and Southern Cebu and parts of Southern Mindanao,” the official said.

He said if the Philippines can grow wheat successfully in large scale, “we could save as much as P6 billion annually in importation which amount could be channeled to development projects such as building irrigation facilities and farm-to-market roads.”

The former NFA official said that scientists of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) had conducted in 1957 tests if wheat could be grown successfully in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Rizal, Negros Island and Palawan.

He said the tested wheat varieties showed a good yield potential, excellent milling and quality, high protein content and , were resistant to drought, disease and pests and had high extraction rate.

The wheat varieties such as those coming from wheat-producing countries, which have high yielding potential, could also be grown in Western Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Southern Quezon, Central and Southern Cebu and parts of southern Mindanao.

“Further testing of these varieties and several hundreds of those that came from Mexico, yielded significant findings. The yield per unit area is comparable to, and in some cases, even better than those obtained in countries from where they were imported,” he said.

Sometime in 1980, NFA had developed wheat flour substitute from broken rice.

Called rice flour, it is comparable to wheat flour in protein and nutrient content. It is also less expensive when manufactured on a large-scale.

According to the food agency, 10 percent blending of rice  flour with wheat flour does not produce any substantial difference in the physical characteristics and nutritive value of the latter.

The former NFA official said the government should also look into other possibilities such as developing coconut as substitute for wheat flour.

Why not? This way we could reduce wheat importation which drains our dollar reserves.