The Negros Occidental provincial government is not in a position to provide the necessary treatment against the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) affecting sugarcane farmers in the province.
In an interview on Monday, June 2, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson emphasized that the provincial government’s role is limited to alerting the various agricultural offices of the local government units (LGUs) affected by the RSSI infestation.
“What we can only do is really first identify the LGUs that are already experiencing this,” Lacson said.
He also expressed confidence that individual sugar planters have their own budgets to manage and respond to the pest problem.
“I’m sure they have the budget to address the situation. Wala ‘ni pili eh kun farmer ka or tree planter ka. That’s part of the expenses that a sugar farmer faces every year,” he added.
Earlier, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and local sugar planters initiated a campaign to seek assistance from the provincial government to address the pest problem.
The coordinated effort between the SRA and sugar farmers aims to contain the spread of the pest and minimize damage to the sugarcane industry in Negros Occidental, a key sugar-producing province in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the provincial government continues to support it through information dissemination and coordination with LGUs.
SRA’s data on Monday showed at least 13 cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental have a reported presence of RSSI.
The SRA described the RSSI infestation in Negros Island as “alarming,” prompting them to seek emergency powers and the assistance of other government bodies to contain the pest.
Meanwhile, the National Plant Quarantine Services Division of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry conducted field validation of sugarcane fields in northern Negros Occidental affected by RSSI.
“We’re hoping by tomorrow, we can dispatch the disinfection vehicles to spray these areas,” DA-Negros Island Region Director Albert Barrogo said.
Farmers whose sugarcane fields have been infested can also request spraying through SRA, he added.
SRA Deputy Administrator Ignacio Santillana highlighted the need for an emergency policy to fast-track the procurement and distribution of pesticides.
He said the SRA currently aims to allocate P1.5 million for pesticide purchases but is constrained by existing procurement regulations imposed by the Commission on Audit.
Santillana urged farms not yet affected to begin preventive pesticide spraying.
Negros Island, which produces over 60 percent of the country’s sugar, is facing a rapidly escalating threat that has already affected hundreds of hectares of sugarcane fields.
RSSI was first detected in northern Negros Occidental at the end of March and was officially declared an infestation on May 22, when it had spread to over 87 hectares.
The infestation then nearly doubled to 191 hectares by May 26 and reached 255 hectares by May 28.
The latest SRA report on May 30 revealed a staggering increase to 424.82 hectares — almost quadrupling in just eight days./ With reports from PNA / JB, WDJ