• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is urging local government units (LGUs) affected by the infestation of red–striped soft scale insects (RSSI) to declare a state of calamity, Jose Albert Barrogo, regional director of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Negros Island Region, said on Wednesday (June 4).
The declaration of state of calamity is a requirement or will serve as a basis for SRA to have emergency procurement of pesticides, he added.
The SRA sought a P10-million budget from the DA to address the RSSI infestation, which already affected 424.82 hectares of sugarcane fields in 16 towns and cities of Negros Island Region, and two LGUs in Panay Island as of June 2.
“They (SRA) cannot move unless there is a declaration of state of calamity from the LGUs,” Barrogo said.
On Tuesday, personnel of the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) National Plant Quarantine Services Division has started conducting field validation in the northern Negros, which was reported by SRA to have highest area of RSSI infestation.
In a radio interview, BPI manager Jenauh Job Jamili said they visited on Wednesday the town of Murcia, where 18 of its barangays were hit by RSSI infestation.
Jamili said they also observed that sugar farms in Victorias City were severely hit by the pest.
BPI strictly prohibits the movement of sugarcane planting materials in and outside of Negros in order to contain the spread of infestation.
The RSSI damages sugarcane by sucking leaf sap, causing foliage to die. Its excrement also encourages fungal growth that can kill the plant.
Despite the concerning situation, SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, in an interview with GMA News, assured the public that the outbreak is still under control.
To contain the pest, SRA said it has distributed pesticides, dispatched technical teams to train farmers. | GB
