Domestic wheat is fresh and delicious. Wu Baochun and other well-known bakers like to use it. They rely on folk self-reliance to resume ploughing, and lack resources from breeding to processing.

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(Continued) The pandemic has led to a tightening of global wheat supply, and the self-sufficiency rate of local wheat has aroused concern from all walks of life. Taiwan's wheat self-sufficiency rate is less than 1%. In recent years, the private sector has voluntarily cultivated wheat. Although the agricultural government units are not optimistic about it or actively assist it, domestic wheat has made a way out by relying on private forces. Brands such as Xi Yuan Republic, Hongjie Food, Eighteen Wheat, Orale, Moonlight, etc. have blossomed everywhere. Famous bakers such as Wu Baochun and A Duan Bake use local flour to bake, which has increased the planting area and yield of domestic wheat year after year.

However, the long-term development of local wheat still faces many severe tests. From breeding to back-end storage, processing and promotion, the industrial chain is not mature enough. In response to the epidemic situation, the Agricultural and Food Administration has shouted "ten-fold expansion" but has not proposed an overall plan. Will it help the development of local wheat?

A Duan Baking Fresh bread made from Taiwanese wheat (Photo_Lin Yijun) Folk farming resumed in 2007, and the island expanded from 20 hectares upward

In 1986, only 20 hectares of wheat were planted on Taiwan. Until 1996, Shih Ming-huang, founder of the Communist Party of China, believed that Taiwan relied too much on imported wheat, and began to carry out a re-cultivation plan, spreading out from Taichung City. (Please click here for local wheat planting quantity and distribution)

Lin Xunshi, technical assistant of the Taichung Agricultural Reform Farm Management Office, which is the only one in Taiwan to study wheat breeding, said that Taiwan wheat is harvested once a year, planted around mid-November every year, and harvested in March of the next year. The main cultivated variety is "Taichung Selection No.2", with a protein content of about 12%. It is mainly developed into distiller's yeast, or flour is made into steamed bread, noodles, bread and other medium-gluten flour products.

Duck Appreciation Bread Made from Taiwan Wheat (Photo Provided_Ku Zhengmu) Wish the Republic: The public sector invests less resources, even the research and development funds are very economical.

As the first person to initiate the wheat rehabilitation movement, Shi Minghuang, the "general director" of the Republic of Xi Wish, said that from 2007 to now, the annual contracted area is about 420 hectares. The contracted farmers collect organic and friendly cultivation, which is distributed from the south of Miaoli Yuanli to the north of Tainan Xuetian.

Shi Minghuang said that even if the highest output in a bumper harvest year is only 670 metric tons, the amount of flour to be made is still too small for flour mills. In the past, he cooperated with Lianhua Food. In recent years, he has successively built a single flour milling station and seed storage bank. The main channels are Liren, Housewives Alliance and their own products. At present, sales are stable.

Shih Ming-huang says that since wheat farming has resumed, it has been driven by private forces, and the public sector has invested very little in resources. Only one technical assistant from the Taichung Agricultural Reform Station has been involved in breeding. However, the hardware and capital required for wheat production are quite large, while the government has saved quite a lot of research and development resources. Hearing that the Agriculture and Food Administration wants to expand the planting area this year in response to the epidemic situation, Shih Ming-huang said,"We want to expand it tenfold, unless all domestic wheat this year is not ground and collected for seed."

Hongjie: Adjust the production method, Taiwan wheat bread is fresher and more delicious

Hongjie Food Company, which has contracted with farmers in Taichung, Changhua and Chiayi, has been contracted with farmers for nearly six years. Currently, the contracted area is 200 hectares, mainly selling wheat raw materials, and the channels are Carrefour and Wu Paochun bread.

Ku Cheng-mu, who came from a flour mill, said that the price of wheat in Taiwan is higher than that of American wheat, but some domestic bakers use European and Japanese flour, and the price is similar to that of American flour. The difference lies only in their usage habits."Most bakers are used to American flour, but they use Japanese flour or domestic wheat flour, and they have to use different time and temperature control to make dough."

In order to ensure the quality, Hongjie grinds the wheat harvested in different regions, and records the production status and post-processing situation of wheat in each region in detail. In recent years, it has been found that the quality of domestic wheat has been improving. For example, the protein content of this year can reach 13.05%. Especially after Wu Baochun bread is adopted, the quality and use of domestic wheat are more convincing."The bread made from Taiwan wheat tastes especially fresh and has a great fragrance, but the most feared is out of stock."

Wu Baochun uses Taiwan wheat flour to make bread (Photo courtesy of Gu Zhengmu) A Duan Baking: Taiwan wheat protein is similar to European T55 flour, very suitable for making bread

In Muzha opened more than 20 years of Aduan baking, In recent years try to use domestic wheat to make bread, Interview at the same time, Baker fire head master is receiving this year's first batch of ground wheat flour,"This year's protein content is about 11.5%, Similar to imported flour."

"The protein content of Taiwanese wheat is very close to that of European T55T65, so it is very suitable for making French baguette." Fire head worker description, shop