By CESAR JOLITO III
The Negros Occidental provincial government is set to submit to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson the final version of an executive order creating the provincial biosecurity task force and technical working group to strengthen the province’s fight against red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) and other biological pests.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the task force will be composed of four specialized teams: the field inspection and monitoring team, implementation team, laboratory and propagation team, and research and development team.
The teams will include personnel from the Provincial Administrator’s Office, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, the Provincial Veterinary Office, laboratories of various government agencies and industries, Co-Lab Life Sciences Inc., academic institutions, and paraveterinarians.
Once approved by Lacson, the task force will roll out a unified provincial operational plan that will utilize natural, biological and environmentally sustainable approaches to pest management.
The initiative is intended to complement and strengthen the ongoing efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration in protecting Negros Occidental’s agriculture and supporting Negrense farmers.
Support
The Luzon Federation of Sugarcane Growers Association (Luzonfed) and sugar millers in Luzon have reaffirmed their support for the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) in its continuing campaign against RSSI, following a significant decline in infestations across the region.
Sugar farmers, millers and SRA officials assessed the current RSSI situation, with stakeholders reporting that the infestation in Luzon is now “controlled and contained.”
Luzonfed President Cornelio Toreja credited the SRA’s sustained interventions for helping minimize the spread of the pest.
He said the agency has continuously provided farmers with equipment, pesticides, fertilizers, and support for prevention and control campaigns through the Mill District Development Councils since last year.
Toreja emphasized that coordinated efforts between the SRA, farmers and millers have been instrumental in reducing the infestation and urged the sugar industry to remain united in combating the pest./CCJ, WDJ