By CESAR JOLITO III
Sugar producers are urging government agencies to act swiftly against the renewed spread of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), warning that the pest could once again cause significant losses across key sugar-producing areas in Negros.
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) has appealed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to immediately implement large-scale measures to contain the infestation before it reaches levels recorded during the previous crop year.
Confed President Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, Jr. said reports from farmers indicate that RSSI has resurfaced in several sugarcane farms despite ongoing efforts to control the pest through natural and biological methods.
Valderrama said the challenge stems from the insect’s ability to spread from one farm to another, making individual control measures ineffective when neighboring plantations remain untreated.
“Numerous sugar farmers have reported that there has been a resurgence of RSSI infestation in their farms. They conduct natural and biological measures to combat its spread, but the infestation persists because the insects simply transfer to other adjacent untreated sugar farms,” he said.
The sugar industry leader stressed that last year’s outbreak demonstrated the need for a coordinated response, noting that RSSI infestations cannot be effectively managed at the farm level alone.
Valderrama called on the DA and SRA to consider preemptive interventions, including aerial spraying and other area-wide control measures, to prevent the pest from spreading further.
The urgency of the appeal comes after an SRA report showed that nearly 3,700 hectares of sugarcane farms were affected by RSSI as of August 19, 2025. Most of the affected areas were located in Negros Occidental, where 24 local government units reported infestations.
Valderrama noted that the outbreak expanded rapidly within a span of three months, growing from only a few monitored areas in May 2025 to thousands of hectares by August.
“We urge the SRA to move with the utmost speed because, as we learned from last crop year’s experience, RSSI spread exponentially in just three months,” he said.
Beyond the threat to crop yields, Confed warned that the infestation could further strain farmers already dealing with rising production costs and depressed sugar prices.
Valderrama said RSSI infestations can reduce the sugar content of cane by as much as 50 percent, significantly affecting farm productivity and income.
With the new crop season underway, sugar producers are calling for immediate action to prevent a repeat of last year’s outbreak and safeguard one of the country’s most important agricultural industries./CCJ, WDJ