PH wheat imports seen rising

The Philippines will import significantly more wheat in the current marketing year (MY), driven by continued demand for wheat-based products such as bread and pasta, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

- By DEXTER BARRO II

The USDA, through its Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Manila, revised its projection for the country’s wheat imports to 7.4 million metric tons (MT) in MY 2025-2026, up from an initial estimate of seven million MT.

The foreign agency starts the wheat MY in July and ends it in June of the following year.

Taking into account the 6.35 million MT of imported wheat recorded in MY 2024-2025, the updated estimate would be 16.5-percent higher.

Since the country does not produce wheat, it relies exclusively on imports to meet its requirements. It primarily imports milling wheat for human consumption and feed wheat for animal feed.