• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Oriental has placed the province under a state of calamity following a severe outbreak of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI).
The declaration was approved on July 20 by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Vice Governor Cezanne Fritz Diaz said.
Based on the latest report of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), about 1,900 hectares of the 48,901 hectares of sugarcane farms were validated to have been infested by RSSI.
The calamity declaration authorizes the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to tap its quick response fund.
An initial P15 million has been earmarked to bankroll immediate containment operations.
Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) Chief Emmanuel Caduyac announced that chemical spraying will cover all sugarcane fields across Negros Oriental, including healthy plantations that have not yet shown signs of the pest.
“The spraying must be done in all the sugarcane fields to make sure that there are no insects left to reproduce in nearby untreated farms,” Caduyac said on Tuesday, July 21.
Because the PAO lacks sufficient field staff for a massive undertaking of this scale, the office is partnering directly with local government units (LGUs), barangay officials, and local farmers.
Caduyac noted that agricultural crop-dusting aircraft will not be utilized for the campaign, as many plantations are situated in rugged, mountainous terrain, making aerial spraying too high-risk.
On June 30, the provincial government of Negros Occidental also declared a state of calamity due to a devastating infestation of the RSSI that has ravaged over 32 percent of the province’s sugarcane plantations.
The calamity declaration allowed the provincial government to release and utilize disaster and quick response funds to combat the invasive pests and provide financial assistance to thousands of affected farmers. | GPB with PNA reports
