By CESAR JOLITO III
United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) President Manuel Lamata described the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) outbreak in Negros as a serious, island-wide concern that could significantly affect the country’s sugar industry.
Lamata called on farmers to work together in containing the infestation, noting that Negros accounts for more than 60 percent of the Philippines’ sugar production.
He urged large and small planters alike to assist neighboring farms, saying that isolated efforts would not be enough to stop the spread of the pest.
More than 200 sugar farmers gathered in Negros Occidental’s Talisay City as Unifed, in partnership with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), convened a stakeholders’ forum to strengthen efforts against the growing threat of the RSSI infestation.
Held at Nature’s Village Resort, the forum focused on infestation management, prevention strategies, and the need for coordinated action among farmers, government agencies, sugar mills, and the private sector.
Lamata also acknowledged the SRA for providing management guidelines and best practices based on previous field experience.
The response to the infestation requires the participation of all sectors, emphasizing that immediate action is necessary to protect the sugar industry, he said.
Unifed will distribute tested management protocols to its members and encourage them to share the information with fellow farmers.
Lamata likewise reiterated that Unifed recognizes only the existing RSSI interagency task force created by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, with the SRA serving as action officer.
Effective solutions
Meanwhile, Lamata also warned pesticide manufacturers against taking advantage of the current situation, stressing that while chemical pesticides remain part of the recommended protocols, efforts are also underway to expand biological control methods, including the use of beneficial fungi.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona echoed the call for a unified response, emphasizing that research will play a critical role in developing effective and sustainable solutions.
He also thanked Universal Robina Corporation’s sugar mills in La Carlota and Kabankalan for committing support to affected farmers.
During the forum, planters Tonette Ramos and Dino Gutierrez shared their experiences in battling RSSI after suffering significant production losses last year.
Ramos said their farms in northern Negros recorded a 30 to 40 percent decline in sugarcane tonnage and about a 40 percent reduction in sugar yield due to the infestation, prompting them to invest heavily this season in pesticides, drone-assisted spraying, and early detection measures.
She said they would also extend pesticide application to neighboring farms, believing that controlling RSSI requires collective action rather than individual farm interventions.
Gutierrez said they studied various management practices used in other countries before adapting them to local conditions, adding that proper drone operation — including flight speed and altitude — has become an important factor in ensuring effective pesticide coverage.
Despite the improvements in crop health, Ramos noted that the intensified mitigation efforts have significantly increased production costs, with pesticide application and labor expenses averaging around P1,500 per hectare after four rounds of spraying this season./CCJ, WDJ