By CESAR JOLITO III
Crop damage in sugarcane caused by fast-spreading red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in Negros Occidental could reach up to P350 million, prompting calls for the declaration of a state of calamity to enable emergency interventions.
The warning came from David Andrew Sanson, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member and head of the RSSI Task Force, following a high-level meeting with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
According to Sanson, RSSI has already infested nearly 3,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations in the province.
Based on studies, the pest can reduce the sugar content of affected crops by as much as 50 percent, resulting in significant production and income losses.
“If we use the national production average, this affected area could have yielded sugar valued at P700 million. The infestation could wipe out at least half of that, or around P350 million,” Sanson said.
The SRA believes the actual damage could be more widespread than current validated reports indicate.
Given the urgency, Sanson reiterated the task force’s earlier request for the provincial government to declare a state of calamity.
This, he said, would allow the emergency procurement of insecticides to control the spread of the destructive pest.
However, Lacson explained that the current situation does not yet meet the standard 30 percent damage threshold required to declare a state of calamity.
He added that the matter has been referred to the Provincial Legal Office for further review — particularly on whether the projected economic losses alone can justify such a declaration.
Lacson also clarified that even if a state of calamity is declared, no calamity funds from the local government would be immediately released to the SRA or directly used for pest control, based on initial SRA guidelines.
Negros Occidental remains the country’s top sugar-producing province, and any prolonged impact on its sugarcane farms could ripple through the broader sugar industry and local economy.
As the pest continues to spread, farmers and stakeholders are calling for urgent action and stronger coordination between national agencies and local governments to contain the infestation before it escalates further./CJ, WDJ