• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Cloudseeding operations have started in Negros and Panay as authorities respond to worsening El Niño conditions, with the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) thanking the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for acting on its request for intervention.
UNIFED president Manuel Lamata said on Sunday, Sept. 13 that four cloudseeding sorties have been completed in Panay and another four in Negros Island Region.
“All sorties have been successful, with the latest just last Saturday in Bayawan which, according to our member, Adnan Buenafe, brought very much needed rain,” Lamata said in a statement.
He said he also received a report from Toboso Mayor Richard Jaococo, who sent him a video showing rain showers in the barangays of San Isidro and Bug-ang.
Lamata stressed the importance of cloudseeding in mitigating the effects of prolonged dry conditions on sugarcane plantations.
“Cloudseeding is crucial not only to ease drought stress on sugarcane, but also to help slow the spread of the red-striped soft scale insect that intensifies under dry conditions,” he said.
RSSI has affected thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations in Negros Island, raising concerns over declining cane productivity amid persistent dry weather.
Lamata said he had asked SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona to make representations with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel for additional funding to expand cloudseeding operations in Negros.
He also renewed his call for the provincial government of Negros Occidental to acquire its own aircraft to strengthen the province’s capability to respond to recurring climate-related threats and agricultural pest outbreaks.
“As the country’s top sugar-producing province, we must be self-reliant in responding to recurring climate threats and pest outbreaks,” Lamata said.
He noted that cloudseeding has been needed several times in recent years and may again be necessary in the future, making long-term preparedness an important consideration for the province.
Lamata said having a provincial aircraft would provide a more sustainable and readily available resource for responding to drought, pest outbreaks and other agricultural emergencies. | GPB
