By CESAR JOLITO III
As the debate continues over the most effective response to the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) affecting sugarcane plantations in Negros, the United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) is set to convene a forum with a chemical supplier to address growing concerns and criticisms surrounding the proposed use of systemic pesticides through aerial spraying.
Unifed President Manuel Lamata said the forum aims to provide farmers, stakeholders and the public with scientific and technical information on the use of systemic pesticides, following what he described as numerous comments and allegations questioning the safety and effectiveness of aerial spraying.
“So we are bringing in the experts to clarify the safety nets of their products,” Lamata said.
The forum comes as Unifed continues to push for large-scale aerial spraying, a proposal that has drawn opposition from some sectors, including the Negros Occidental provincial government, which has maintained that biological control remains the preferred approach in addressing the RSSI outbreak.
Lamata also rejected claims that aerial spraying would be ineffective because RSSI insects are typically found on the underside of sugarcane leaves.
“While we agree on the plans of the provincial government towards bio-control solutions, we need to see their immediate action and recommendation on standing crops because, without a large-scale intervention now, we are set to lose big time in the coming crop year,” Lamata said.
“These are statements coming from those who refuse to attend information drives regarding this intervention and are quick to lay blame on others without offering their own solutions,” he added.
Lamata said aerial spraying employs a low-pass application method similar to agricultural drone operations.
He added that the aircraft to be used would be equipped with vortex nozzles designed to create a swirling spray pattern intended to thoroughly drench sugarcane fields with systemic pesticides.
He stressed that immediate large-scale intervention is necessary, arguing that existing biological control measures are long-term solutions that may not be sufficient to protect thousands of hectares of standing sugarcane already affected by the infestation.
“We have to do something on a large scale because the interventions being introduced by some sectors are for the long term and will not save thousands of hectares of standing crops at this point,” Lamata said.
Unifed also announced plans to assist small sugarcane farmers who are unable to purchase pesticides.
In coordination with the Sugar Regulatory Administration and volunteer sugar planters, the federation said it intends to begin spraying heavily infested farms owned by smallholders at no cost, before expanding the program to larger plantations whose owners agree to participate.
Lamata said the initiative seeks to prevent further crop losses among small farmers, whom he described as the most vulnerable to the ongoing infestation.
He maintained that while Unifed supports the provincial government’s long-term biological control program, it is urging authorities to immediately implement recommendations that would protect existing standing crops./CCJ, WDJ