• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 1,788.9 hectares of sugarcane plantations in four provinces of Visayas were hit by pest infestations, affecting 869 farmers, based on the report of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) as of May 29.
Negros Occidental sugarcane fields were hardest hit by the red-striped soft-scale insect (RSSI), with damage estimated at 1,645 hectares, while in Negros Oriental, 75.80 hectares; Iloilo, 45.80 hectares; and Capiz, 22 hectares.
According to the SRA, the RSSI infestation can reduce the sugar content of cane by as much as 50 percent.
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Association has called on the Department of Agriculture and the SRA to immediately implement large-scale measures to curb the resurgence of RSSI infestations in sugarcane farms.
Last year, the SRA reported that about 3,700 hectares of sugarcane farms were affected by the RSSI infestation, with bulk of infestations noted in Negros Occidental.
The SRA has been involved in mass -producing entomopathogenic fungi, an organic solution to combat the RSSI infestation since last year.
SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson said the continuous training on fungi reproduction and application is among the efforts being undertaken by the SRA to curb the infestation. | GB
