• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The infestation of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in Negros Island has expanded to 13,797 hectares of sugarcane farms, affecting 5,258 farmers in 333 barangays, prompting the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to call for the urgent declaration of a state of calamity.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the infestation has reached alarming levels, with 12,332.52 hectares affected in Negros Occidental and 1,465 hectares in Negros Oriental as of June 21.
Azcona, who met and briefed Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on the RSSI problem, described the situation as a serious outbreak that worsened after the dry season.
“The reported cases have reached more than 30 percent of the planted area. It is very, very serious. Last year, we were not faced with as big a problem and we were able to arrest it. Now it is an outbreak,” Azcona said.
He noted that SRA’s weather studies since 2022 showed that RSSI populations multiply rapidly during hot weather while rains help suppress the pest.
“If the problem persists, there will be a significant effect on sugar production,” Azcona warned.
Using a projected national sugar output of about two million metric tons, he estimated that a 30-percent decline in Negros production could result in a loss of about 390,000 metric tons, equivalent to nearly 20 percent of the country’s sugar production.
Azcona said this could translate to around P17.5 billion in lost sales opportunities.
To combat the infestation, SRA has already spent about P177 million from its corporate funds, supplemented by approximately P28.97 million from the Sugar Industry Development Act program.
The funds were used for pesticides, insecticides, fertilizer assistance, spraying equipment, biological control agents, and recovery programs for affected farms.
Azcona said SRA is also ramping up efforts to mass-produce beneficial fungi used to control RSSI although laboratory space remains limited.
He added that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed the use of available Department of Agriculture laboratories to support the production of the fungi.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the province is reviewing whether a new declaration is necessary, noting that a previous state of calamity declaration related to RSSI remains in effect.
“We have to ask the Provincial Legal Office if there is a need to declare a state of calamity this time because of RSSI,” Lacson said.
Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas clarified that the province’s earlier declaration has not yet been lifted.
“As far as our opinion is concerned, it has not been lifted yet. The state of calamity still remains and continues to exist,” Nellas said, explaining that the declaration was linked to a typhoon situation but remains valid.
Lacson said he is open to coordinating with Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria to address the infestation on an island-wide scale.
He also expressed interest in proposals raised by sugar industry leaders, including pesticide-spraying operations and the establishment of a laboratory for the mass production of fungi.
“We have to hear the concerns of health authorities as well and determine whether such interventions are safe,” Lacson said.
The governor added that while mass spraying may temporarily reduce the infestation, it is not a permanent solution, noting that countries that have experienced RSSI outbreaks continue to encounter recurring infestations.
SRA Board Member David Sanson said the onset of the rainy season is expected to help slow the spread of RSSI.
“If the rains continue, infestations are expected to subside,” Sanson said.
He added that SRA supports the declaration of a state of calamity as it would facilitate emergency procurement of pesticides and enable local government units to mobilize additional resources for affected farmers.
Azcona appealed to local government units (LGUs) and national agencies to intensify their cooperation through the provincial RSSI task force organized last year.
“To arrest the RSSI problem requires the effort of everybody,” he said. “If LGUs and the provincial government join us, the effort will be much stronger and hopefully we can control the outbreak as quickly as possible.”
Azcona further said that SRA officials were encouraged by the outcome of their meeting with Lacson and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, expressing hope that a coordinated response involving both Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental would help contain the infestation before it causes further damage to the sugar industry. | GPB
