• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Armyworms have destroyed 923.5 hectares of cornfield and sugar plantation in 75 barangays of 15 municipalities and cities in Negros Occidental as of July 5, according to the report of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
Affected were the cities of Sagay, Silay, Bago, Escalante, Kabankalan and Himamaylan as well as the municipalities of Ilog, Murcia, La Castellana, Hinobaan, Candoni, Binalbagan, Cauayan, Isabela and Moises Padilla.
The pest infestation has affected the livelihood of 1,429 farmers tilling 843 hectares of cornfield and 80 hectares of sugarcane plantation, OPA officer-in-charge Dina Genzola said in the report submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Lacson said on Monday, July 8, that the provincial government has received 50 liters of insecticide from the Regional Crop Protection Center of the Department of Agriculture, which is for spraying of about 100 hectares of crop hit by armyworms.
They will continue the spraying activities on affected areas, he added.
The governor said that the provincial government also allocated P3 million additional budget for insecticides for future spraying.
Five of the six local government units in the Fifth District of Negros Occidental have been affected by armyworms.
Experts from the National Crop Protection Center of University of the Philippines-Los Baños (NCPC-UPLB) arrived last week in Negros Occidental to help farmers contain the infestation.
Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo said that the team of experts recommended chemicals to be used, in the absence of emergency use permits, noting that these are not specifically for sugarcane.
They also recommended a two-pronged attack in the eradication of armyworms, including the use of chemicals and biocontrol, wherein insects eat armyworms, Yulo said.
He added that the UPLB team of experts is slated to submit their official report and recommendations to the OPA. | GB
