BACOLOD CITY — Negros Oriental has been placed under a state of calamity because of the worsening red-striped soft scale insect infestation in its sugarcane fields.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan, or provincial board, approved the declaration during its regular session Monday, Vice Gov. Cezanne Fritz Diaz said.
Diaz said the infestation poses a major challenge because sugarcane provides income to many residents.
He expressed hope that the national government would assist the provincial government and affected farmers in containing the pest.
About 17,000 hectares have been reported infested across Negros Oriental, with approximately 1,900 hectares validated by the Sugar Regulatory Administration out of the province’s 48,901 hectares of sugarcane farms.
The calamity declaration allows the provincial government to tap its quick response fund for containment measures, with an initial PHP 15 million earmarked for the effort.
Negros Occidental was also placed under a state of calamity June 30 after the infestation was reported across 61,242 hectares, or 32.18% of its 190,314.19 hectares of planted sugarcane.
The pest feeds on sugarcane sap, weakening plant growth and promoting sooty mold that reduces photosynthesis and crop yields, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The department said the pest was first detected in the Philippines in 2022 and can reduce the sugar content of affected cane by as much as 50%.
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria earlier supported aerial spraying as a possible large-scale response to the infestation.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, meanwhile, said his provincial government would prioritize biological control methods over funding aerial pesticide spraying because of environmental and public health concerns.
The Department of Agriculture has directed the mass production of beneficial fungi as a biological control agent against the pest, although agriculture officials have acknowledged that broader containment measures may be needed as the infestation spreads. (Glazyl M. Jopson via tdg photo by pna)