To cushion the impact of the red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) infestation, which reduces sugar production by almost 50 percent, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said it is set to impose a transport control policy for the entry and exit of plants and planting materials in Negros Island Region (NIR).

This came after the SRA reported an increase in affected area to 841.7 hectares in Negros Occidental as of June 6, far higher than 87 hectares initially recorded on May 22.

In a hybrid forum, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the policy will cover the movement of plants and planting materials, both for commercial and research purposes.

“Whoever, whatever irresponsibly brought plants into Negros carrying RSSI, it’s okay. We don’t want to finger-point, but we need to find a solution. Secretary [Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr.] has told me that we should implement controls from this day forward, moving into the future with or without a disease, with or without a pest. This cannot happen again,” he said in a speech.

With the planned entry and exit ban in place, industry stakeholders must secure clearance from the SRA before conducting any movement.

“It will be inconvenient for us. But the movement of plants and planting materials [for] commercial or research purposes should be initially approved by the SRA and forwarded to the DA [Department of Agriculture] through BPI [Bureau of Plant Industry] through our region because we will have a regional office here,” Azcona said.

For its part, the BPI reported a movement of plants to Negros Occidental from Luzon, where the RSSI infestation was first logged in 2022.

“However, since there is no policy, they cannot stop and intercept it. So a policy is required. That is the sad result of an irresponsible act,” Azcona said.

Besides the movement control policy, the SRA also disclosed other recommended action plans against RSSI, including early detection, removal of infested plant parts, and proper disposal through burning.

Azcona assured that the DA and SRA, in partnership with other government agencies, will make their 100 percent effort to mitigate the impact of the RSSI infestation, as the region accounts for 65 to 68 percent of the country’s total production.

To date, around 21 cities and municipalities are RSSI-infested, with Bago City incurring the highest affected land area at 145.23 hectares, followed by Victorias City with 137.54 hectares, and Silay City with 110.65 hectares infested.

Around 465 farmers are already affected by the current scale of RSSI infestation across 58 barangays in the province. (PNA)