Bacolod City – The Sugar Regulatory Administration has sought P10 million in assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to help contain the spread of Red Striped Soft Scale Insects (RSSI) in sugarcane farms in Negros Occidental.
The decision to make the request, which will be submitted to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, was made during a meeting between SRA and DA recently, according to Engr. Jose Albert Barrogo, the DA regional director for Negros Island Region.
Barrogo added that an interagency task force led by the SRA was also created.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration reported that 87 hectares of sugarcane fields in 11 towns and cities of Negros Occidental have been affected by the Red Striped Soft Scale Insects.
The SRA said that according to a study conducted by the University of the Philippines, the pests can reduce the sugar content of sugarcane by almost 50 percent.
Most farms have reported a mild infestation rate of 20 percent, although one 12-hectare area, currently being treated, has shown a 70 percent infestation, according to the SRA.
SRA head Pablo Luis Azcona asked the assistance of the 11 chief executives and Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson to help contain infestations within their locality.
Hit by slight to severe infestations of RSSI were sugar farms in the cities of Cadiz, Victorias, Silay, Talisay, La Carlota, and Bago, as well as the municipalities of Toboso, Manapla, EB Magalona, Murcia, and La Castellana, SRA reports indicated.
In his letter to Gov. Lacson and the 11 mayors, Azcona said the RSSI can rapidly spread from one field to another if not contained.
This pest poses a significant threat to our crops and can affect yield, which in general can also affect the production of the entire sugar industry, he added.
Negros Island accounts for two-thirds of the country’s annual sugar production.
The first confirmed RSSI infestation was reported in Pampanga in 2022.
The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) on Monday called on the government to implement a stricter quarantine between Panay island and Negros island to prevent the spread RSSI.
UNIFED president Manuel Lamata said the entry and exit of sugarcane stalks (patdan) should temporarily suspended, as he admitted that some sugar plantations of their members were affected by the RSSI.
Engr. Albert Barrogo, DA regional director for Negros Island Region, said they will deploy pesticide sprayer tankers, two in Negros and one in Panay.
SRA Chief Science Research Specialist Raphael Henri Mundo reported that the agency is now coordinating with the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) and Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for the possible issuance of emergency use permit once a second trial is completed on potential insecticides against RSSI. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds