The Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CONFED) on Thursday, July 16, said from the very beginning it has consistently advocated for immediate, large-scale intervention versus the Red Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation to prevent further losses to sugar farmers.
“Our position has always been to support industry-wide, drone-assisted and manual ground-based spraying, together with other science-based measures that can be deployed safely and effectively to protect standing crops,“ a CONFED statement said.
CONFED cautioned against airplane aerial spraying.
“We believe that such an approach should only be considered after the necessary scientific, environmental, and regulatory evaluations have established its safety and suitability under local conditions,” it said.
It is therefore inaccurate to suggest that CONFED opposed immediate intervention through large-scale spraying, it added.
“On the contrary, we have repeatedly emphasized that the severity of the RSSI infestation cannot be effectively addressed through uncoordinated efforts at the individual farm level and thus requires coordinated, large-scale action,” it added.
CONFED also recognizes the importance of biological control and other sustainable approaches as part of a long-term strategy.
However, while these measures are being expanded, farmers facing imminent crop losses need practical and immediate solutions that require everyone’s cooperation, CONFED said.
“Our position has never changed. We remain committed to supporting measures that are effective, science-based, environmentally responsible, and in the best interest of our sugar farmers and the Philippine sugar industry,” it added.*
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