• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The red-striped soft insect (RSSI) infestation has spread to 39,130 hectares of sugarcane farms nationwide, affecting about 22.31 percent of the country’s 421,606 hectares of sugarcane plantations, prompting government agencies and industry stakeholders to further intensify efforts to contain the pest.
As of July 24, the Visayas, particularly Negros Island, remains the hardest-hit area, with 37,351 hectares of sugarcane fields infested, affecting about 17,560 farmers, according to data of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
During the Metro Third District Sugar Industry Stakeholders’ Meeting on RSSI held in Talisay City on Aug. 2, former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela stressed the importance of a coordinated and science-based response to stop the spread of the pest.
As a sugarcane farmer, Coscolluela noted that many farmers have been adopting different treatment methods, resulting in a fragmented approach to pest management.
“Many incidents appear to be to each its own,” he said, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to follow uniform protocols.
Coscolluela welcomed the initiative of Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, who organized the meeting, saying it could help establish a coordinated strategy with the support of the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation (PHILSURIN).
He said chemical treatments should be used in areas with severe infestations while biological control measures remain appropriate in areas where the pest population is still manageable.
He added that attention should also be given to the recovery of damaged sugarcane after the infestation is controlled.
SRA records showed that 5,844 hectares were validated to have been hit by RSSI infestation in the Negros Occidental Third District, affecting 3,268 farmers in 54 barangays.
Benitez said a planning workshop involving the local government units, the SRA, the University of the Philippines Los Baños National Crop Protection Center, and the Provincial Biosecurity Task Force for Agriculture of Negros Occidental is ongoing to strengthen science-based and community-wide interventions.
He estimated that 30 to 40 percent of sugarcane farmers have already been affected by the RSSI.
“We need to be data-driven. A targeted approach will allow us to decide where interventions are most needed,” Benitez said.
The lawmaker pointed out that the infestation in Luzon has significantly declined to 512 hectares, compared to 34,866.61 hectares in the Negros Island Region and 1,523 hectares in Western Visayas.
“The experience in Luzon shows that eliminating RSSI in Negros is possible through a collective and urgent response,” he added.
In E.B. Magalona, a sugarcane variety which is tolerant to RSSI, is also being propagated through the help of PHILSURIN as among the interventions that will be adopted.
“Hopefully, we can implement that soon,” Benitez said.
The SRA also reported that RSSI has affected 1,266 hectares of sugarcane farms in Mindanao.
To assist affected farmers, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the SRA, has distributed P10.56 million in emergency cash assistance to 1,000 small sugarcane farmers in the cities of Talisay and San Carlos in Negros Occidental.
Each beneficiary received P10,325.
The DSWD is targeting more than 11,000 sugarcane farmers under an initial P113.5-million emergency cash transfer program.
Meanwhile, the SRA has spent P9.2 million since December last year to sustain RSSI pest management operations across Negros Island. | GPB
