• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
With the abundance of rains in southern Negros Occidental, after the area was badly hit by drought in the past months, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday (June 25) it appears that there is no need for cloudseeding for now.
“But it still remains an option,” he said.
In his talks with some residents of southern Negros, Lacson said they are already happy with the abundance of rains.
However, after the drought and subsequent rains, seven local government units in southern Negros were also hit by pest infestation.
Based on reports of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, a total of 296.4 hectares of sugarcane plantations and cornfields in Himamaylan City, Kabankalan City, Isabela, Binalbagan, Moises Padilla, Ilog, and La Castellana were damaged by armyworms, affecting 381 farmers as of June 21.
The armyworm outbreak has been blamed on climate change.
Lacson said that they are coordinating with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for the drone spraying operation as the provincial government is now in the process of purchasing insecticides with an initial budget of P500,000.
Aside from drone spraying, Lacson said they are conducting manual spraying.
The governor thanked the SRA for its immediate action to the call for help of sugar farmers.
About 80 hectares of sugarcane plantations in Himamaylan City were damaged by armyworms.
Its sugarcane and corn fields they are attacking, Lacson said.
The total value of the damage has yet to be established by the OPA.
Meanwhile, Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo said that there is a group of biologists, who will help in the studying armyworms that wreaked havoc on the sugarcane and corn fields.
Yulo said he enlisted the help of the University of the Philippines Los Baños National Control Pest Center, whose experts will arrive in the province next week. | GB
