By CESAR JOLITO III

The ongoing spread of the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) is expected to significantly reduce sugar production in the next cropping season, prompting the Negros Occidental provincial government to strengthen its response as the infestation continues to expand across the province’s sugarcane fields.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson warned that the resurgence of the destructive pest during the current planting season could have a lasting impact on the province’s sugar industry.

“What is challenging is the RSSI. We experienced this last year, and it came back this year. What’s worse is that while we are in the planting season right now, RSSI is already present,” Lacson said.

“Unfortunately, we can expect our production to be hit. We are probably looking at lower crop production in the next planting season,” Lacson said.

To address the growing threat, the governor said the provincial government is finalizing an executive order creating a dedicated task force that will oversee monitoring, assessment and intervention efforts against the infestation.

“We are preparing now to form a task force to address RSSI. Many ideas have been brought up on how to address it, and we will continue to study them. What is important is that we continue to monitor how widespread the infestation has become,” he added.

Lacson said the provincial government is also carefully evaluating the funding that can be allocated for the response, noting that disaster preparedness funds must still be reserved for possible typhoons and flooding during the rainy season.

“I cannot say how much the budget will be. We have to be very careful with our disaster budget because we need to balance it out. This is not something we planned for. We always focus on typhoons, especially major floods,” he said.

Despite the financial constraints, the governor acknowledged that the infestation poses a serious threat to one of the province’s primary economic drivers.

“Definitely, it is serious. Our crop production will go down, and coupled with low sugar prices, it is a serious setback to the sugar industry,” Lacson said.

Negros Occidental has already been placed under a state of calamity following the continued spread of RSSI in sugarcane plantations.

Data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) as of June 23 showed that approximately 61,242 hectares, or 32.18 percent, of the province’s 190,314.19 hectares of sugarcane plantations have been affected by the pest.

The infestation has also prompted neighboring Negros Oriental to move toward declaring its own state of calamity.

Governor Manuel Sagarbarria said the provincial government has allocated P15 million for the immediate purchase of pesticides and other mitigation measures.

Nationwide, the SRA reported that validated RSSI infestations have reached 16,576 hectares of sugarcane farms across the Visayas, with the Negros Island Region accounting for 16,019.16 hectares, making it the country’s hardest-hit sugar-producing area./CCJ, WDJ