MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) coordinated with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) to ensure it is ready to issue an emergency use permit (EUP) for insecticides meant to curb a pest infestation in Northern Negros Occidental.
According to DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa, the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños initially found the insecticides buprofezin, dinotefuran, phenthoate, pymetrozine, and thiamethoxam effective in controlling red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), but they still need a second trial.
The insecticides have been shown to be effective in controlling RSSI but are not yet authorized for use on sugarcane, De Mesa said during a press briefing at the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City on Wednesday, May 21.
NCPC will need to conduct a second trial which could lead to the FPA issuing an emergency-use permit.
In the meantime, De Mesa said, the DA is coordinating with other regions to quarantine the RSSI and keep the infestation from spreading.
In a press release, the Sugar Regulatory Administration said it is watching six areas in Northern Negros Occidental after sugar farms reported an infestation of RSSI.
This is said to reduce sugar content by nearly 50 percent.
According to SRA chief Science Research Specialist Raphael Henri Mundo, infestations had been reported in parts of Luzon in 2023.
“This is for us. This is a case of unintentional reproduction. And siguro ‘yung mga pag-move ng mga planting materials, ‘yun ‘yung naging route nung pagpasok po sa atin,” Mundo said.
The agency has instructed its personnel to ask farmers to exercise caution in the movement of their materials.
Mundo added that when they received reports of the presence of the insect, their initial goal was to keep this from reaching Negros Island, which accounts for more than half of sugar production in the country.
“It seems hindi nangyari ‘yung aming inaasahan. So we need to manage and eradicate this soft scale insect. So nasa North Negros po siya ngayon,” Mundo said.
The SRA established a task force led by SRA board member David Andrew Sanson to manage the infestation.
He has asked farmers to stop transporting planting materials from Luzon and other infected areas. (ABS-CBN News)