• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental provincial government has allocated an initial P24.96- million budget to strengthen its biosecurity response against the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, which continues to threaten the province’s sugar industry.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson approved the allocation for the Provincial Biosecurity Task Force to implement a comprehensive program focused on field monitoring, laboratory operations, scientific research, and biological control measures.
Under the approved budget, P1.5 million was allocated to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist to support its field inspection and monitoring team.
The funds will cover personnel allowances, field equipment, and protective gear needed for monitoring operations.
The Provincial Veterinary Office will receive P7.6 million, primarily to finance mobility allowances for field personnel and district heads conducting inspections in affected areas across the province.
Meanwhile, P4.7 million has been earmarked for the bio-materials team and the production of biological control agents to help curb the spread of the pest.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the largest portion of the biosecurity budget at P11 million has been allocated to the CO-LAB Research and Development Project, which will spearhead scientific research and crop rehabilitation efforts.
The project will include whole genome sequencing, the production of Metarhizium biocontrol agents, propagation of parasitoid wasps, and resistance profiling of sugarcane varieties to develop long-term, science-based pest management strategies.
Diaz said the research initiative also aims to enhance microbial isolates and expand biological control propagation while field operations will intensify monitoring and response efforts in local government units throughout the province.
The Provincial Biosecurity Task Force is expected to play a key role in containing the spread of RSSI through strengthened surveillance, scientific innovation, and environmentally sustainable biological control measures.
The RSSI infestation continues to spread across Negros Island, with more than 30 percent of the island’s estimated 250,000 hectares of sugarcane farms already affected, posing a serious threat to one of the country’s largest sugar-producing regions. | GPB
