• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The infestation of red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) has expanded to 16,576 hectares of sugarcane farms across the Visayas, prompting Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental to move toward declaring a state of calamity to intensify efforts against the pest outbreak.
Data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) as of June 26 showed that the Negros Island Region remains the hardest hit, with 16,019.16 hectares affected. Of the total, 14,447.83 hectares are in Negros Occidental while 1,571.33 hectares are in Negros Oriental.
Western Visayas has recorded 409.68 hectares of infested sugarcane fields while Eastern Visayas, 148.07 hectares.
The infestation has already affected 6,258 farmers in 501 barangays across the Visayas, according to the SRA.
Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda said he will endorse to the Sangguniang Panlungsod a resolution declaring a state of calamity after more than 3,000 hectares of the city’s approximately 17,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations were validated to have active RSSI infestation.
Miranda made the announcement during the RSSI Infestation Management and Stakeholders Forum organized by the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City on June 29.
He stressed the need for stronger local government participation in combating the infestation, noting that Kabankalan is also grappling with the impact of African swine fever (ASF).
During the forum, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona called for a unified response among stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of research and coordinated implementation of pest management strategies.
UNIFED president Manuel Lamata described the infestation as an island-wide crisis that threatens the country’s sugar industry, pointing out that Negros accounts for more than 60 percent of the Philippines’ sugar production.
Lamata urged sugar planters to work together by assisting neighboring farms in implementing control measures, saying isolated efforts would not be enough to contain the spread of the pest.
“This is one problem that needs the help of all sectors – government, farmers, millers, and the private sector,” Lamata said.
He also reminded pesticide manufacturers not to take advantage of the situation and encouraged farmers to continue following SRA-approved protocols while biological control methods are being developed.
Meanwhile, the Asociacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra Inc. (AALCPI) and Universal Robina Corporation (URC) have pledged their support to the SRA’s campaign against the RSSI infestation.
During a meeting at the SRA office in Quezon City, AALCPI manager Dave Alba, a former SRA administrator, together with URC officials, committed to supporting the implementation of coordinated control measures.
Alba said AALCPI, its farmer-members, mill partners, and the mill district development council are prepared to provide funding and manpower, provided the SRA continues to lead the campaign under the existing task force headed by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
“We are willing to take a unified stand on how best to eradicate, or at least minimize, the effects of RSSI in our mill district,” Alba said.
La Carlota Mill District Development Council chair Florencio Alonso said the SRA’s interventions last year proved effective but emphasized that greater participation from farmers, sugar mills, and local government units is now essential.
URC officials likewise committed to extending financial and technical assistance to farmers within their mill districts as efforts continue to contain the spread of the pest. | GPB
