• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The sugar industry could see production plunge to just one million metric tons next year, if the spread of red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) is not immediately contained, according to the United Federation of Sugar Producers (UNIFED).
UNIFED president Manuel Lamata warned that the rapid spread of RSSI poses a serious threat to the country’s sugar industry, particularly in Negros Island, which accounts for about 65 percent of the nation’s sugar production.
Lamata spoke at a meeting with Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) executives, representatives of local government units (LGUs) and other stakeholders in Talisay City, Negros Occidental on Friday, July 10.
The recently concluded cropping season already reflected the impact of the infestation, with sugar output declining by 20 percent, from 2.1 million metric tons last year to 1.8 million metric tons.
“If we do nothing now, we are going to produce only one million metric tons next year,” Lamata said, adding that such a decline would have severe economic consequences for Negros and the country’s sugar sector.
Out of the 190,314.19 hectares of sugarcane fields in Negros Occidental, about 61,242 hectares or 32.18 percent, have been affected, according to reports of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
To speed up the government’s response, Lamata urged LGUs to declare a localized state of calamity, enabling them to immediately access local disaster funds instead of waiting for national assistance.
The warning comes as RSSI continues to spread across major sugar-producing areas. During an emergency meeting organized by the Mindanao Federation in Bukidnon, attended by around 2,000 sugar planters, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said infected sugarcane automatically suffers a 50-percent reduction in sugar content.
In Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, Vice Mayor Segundo Mathias Yulo reported that nearly all 12 upland barangays have been affected by RSSI.
Around 350 planters and approximately 1,000 hectares or half of the municipality’s sugarcane area have already been hit by the infestation.
“There is currently no solution to stop the RSSI spread locally,” Yulo said.
To help save the upcoming crop before the milling season begins in October, UNIFED is implementing a two-pronged intervention combining aerial chemical spraying and long-term biological control.
The federation is looking into partnering with Davao Airworks to conduct aerial spraying using systemic chemicals designed to penetrate sugarcane leaves and eliminate the bacteria associated with RSSI.
Fertilizer and chemical suppliers have also been tapped to support the operations.
Lamata said aerial spraying costs around P55,000 per hour per aircraft, with each plane capable of covering 100 hectares per hour or 600 hectares in a six-hour operation.
Treating Negros Island’s estimated 250,000 hectares of sugarcane land would require a budget of approximately P200 million.
Lamata said airplanes will cover large plantation areas while LGUs will deploy drones to spray buffer zones near residential communities, trees, and fishponds where aircraft cannot safely operate.
He stressed that aerial spraying is only a temporary measure aimed at slowing the spread of the disease while a permanent solution is developed.
The long-term strategy involves establishing specialized laboratories in sugar-producing districts to cultivate a predatory fungus that can naturally eliminate RSSI. Once developed, the fungus will be mixed with molasses and water before being sprayed on fields, offering an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution without harming beneficial insects.
“We have to move fast. We have to save this coming crop,” he said. | GPB
