• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) have expanded further across sugar-producing plantations in two Visayas regions, affecting a total of 2,027.79 hectares, as of June 25, more than a month after it was initially discovered on May 22.
However, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), in tandem with the Department of Agriculture (DA), reported gaining ground in their recovery efforts, as 228.16 hectares of sugarcane fields are recovering from the calamity.
A study conducted by the University of the Philippines-Los Baños showed the RSSI can reduce the sugar content of sugarcane by almost 50 percent.
SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona has ordered SRA the research arm to study the effects of RSSI on recovered canes as soon as they mature, to check on the extent of damage, as other countries reported that it can lower sugar content by as much as 50 percent.
Eighteen of the 32 local government units in Negros Occidental have been hit by RSSI infestations, affecting 1,980.44 hectares of sugarcane fields and 1,072 farmers.
A total of 47.35 hectares of sugarcane fields were also attacked by RSSI in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, Anilao, and Barotac Nuevo towns in Iloilo, as well as municipalities of Sigma, Panit-an, Pontevedra, and Dao in Capiz, affecting 51 farmers.
Azcona urged affected local government units, especially those in Negros Occidental, to declare “a state of urgency,” which will help them to contain the spread of RSSI with regard to quarantine procedures, as well as speed up the procurement process for pesticide assistance among farmers affected.
The DA has already approved a P10 million fund for additional pesticide assistance.
Local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental with sugarcane farms badly hit by RSSI may consider the declaration of state of emergency, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday.
“By doing so, their constituent-farmers may expect financial assistance from the concerned LGUs,” Lacson said, noting that the state of emergency declaration still depends on the LGUs.
With the existing “Quick Response to Pest Outbreak” project,Azcona said they continue to utilize and exhaust their currently available pesticide supplies, which is carried through their Mill District Development Councils(MDCCs).
The three LGUs with the most RSSI-affected areas include Cadiz City – 261.21 ha, Victorias City – 237. 1 ha, and Manapla – 220.3 ha, all in Negros Occidental.*
