A state of calamity over Negros Occidental will remain in effect amid reports that 32.18 percent of its sugarcane fields have already been hit by the highly destructive Red Striped Soft-Scale Insects (RSSI), Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, June 23.
Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and United Sugar Producers Federation president Manuel Lamata briefed the governor and members of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan on the extent of the RSSI damage at the SP session hall at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Tuesday.
A state of calamity is necessary to hasten the release of funds and aid from national government agencies and local governments to address the RSSI problem, Azcona said.
Lacson said the provincial government had placed Negros Occidental under a state of calamity due to the severe effects of tropical cyclone Crising and the alarming outbreak of RSSI in July last year.
He is asking the Provincial Legal Office if that declaration remains in effect or if there is a need to declare a new state of calamity, Lacson said.
What is certain is that the province will have to stay under a state of calamity, he said.
The RSSI outbreak in Negros Island is a “very, very serious problem,” Azcona said.
Last year, RSSI caused an estimated 10 to 12 percent drop in sugar production, he said.
The area hit this year is close to double that of last year, so it will affect national production, Azcona said.
If RSSI damage causes a 30 percent drop in Negros Occidental’s production, it will be equivalent to 390,000 metric tons, which is close to 20 percent of the national production, he explained.
That would result in a loss of about P17.5 billion in sales if RSSI is not controlled, Azcona said.
Negros Occidental produces 64 percent of the country’s sugar, he pointed out.
As of June 21, Azcona said 76,607 hectares, or 32.02 percent of the 239,215 hectares of sugarcane fields on Negros Island, have been reported hit by RSSI.
So far, 13,797 hectares of the areas reported hit in Negros Island have been validated affecting 5,258 farmers, he said.
In Negros Occidental, 61,242 hectares or 32.18 percent of its sugarcane lands were reported to have been hit by RSSI, while Negros Oriental reported 15,366 hectares or 31.42 percent, Azcona said.
The validated RSSI-hit areas in Negros Occidental cover 12,332 hectares affecting 4,726 farmers, and in Negros Oriental, 1,465 hectares affecting 532 farmers, Azcona said.
Azcona explained that RSSI populations increase when it is hot and are washed out with rain.
With the help of local government units (LGUs), they can arrest the problem faster, Azcona said, citing the existence of a provincial RSSI task force that was organized last year.
Lacson said they will also closely work with Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria for a coordinated, island-wide battle against RSSI.
The SRA has been producing entomopathogenic fungi to counter the RSSI, but its laboratory is not large enough to produce a sufficient supply, Azcona said.
However, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has granted the SRA permission to use any of the Department of Agriculture (DA) laboratories to expand its production of the fungi, he said.
Lacson said he is also determining how much it will cost to set up a laboratory in the province, as the provincial government may be able to extend financial help.
Lamata recommended that the government allocate P200 million for aerial spraying of insecticides over sugarcane fields across the entire Negros Island to combat RSSI.
Lacson said he will have to discuss the recommendation with the health sector to determine if it is safe for human health.
Experiences of some countries that conducted mass spraying have shown that it will only temporarily solve the problem but not permanently, he said. Azcona said that P206.4 million has been released to battle the RSSI pests since last year. He said P177.5 million came from the SRA and P28.9 from the Sugar Industry Development Act funds.
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