Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, July 21, that he is leaving it up to the mayors of Negros Occidental to decide if they want to allocate funds for the proposed massive aerial spraying of pesticides against the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) attacking sugarcane fields in their areas.
“I said we (the provincial government) will not fund the proposal to use airplanes for aerial spraying, but that is not the same as saying we oppose it,” Lacson said.
“The contribution of the provincial government to the fight against RSSI will be biological control. If the SRA says there is a need for massive aerial spraying, I will let the LGUs, through their local chief executives, decide what is best for their communities,” he said.
Lacson noted that opinions are split on how to address the RSSI problem—some groups are calling for aerial spraying, while others agree with the direction of the provincial government.
“The proponents of the massive aerial spraying can go ahead with their plans, provided the mayors of the local government units agree to it,” Lacson added.
Meanwhile, the provincial government will start biological control spraying on Wednesday, he said.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said last week that they respect the provincial government’s position to use biological control against RSSI, but warned that it will not be fast enough to stop the massive devastation of sugarcane fields.
Negros Occidental is set to lose 33,000 hectares of sugar production—equivalent to 150,000 metric tons of raw sugar, or about eight percent of national output—if no immediate intervention is taken against the RSSI infestation, Azcona said.
“Going with natural control is not quick, and it is not cheap. My personal experience is that using bio-pesticides costs four to five times more than using off-the-shelf solutions, and the control is not as fast. Our farmers may not have the capacity to cope,” he added.*
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