All sugarcane fields in Negros Oriental, including those not yet affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), will undergo chemical spraying following the province’s declaration of a state of calamity.
Provincial Agriculture Office Chief Emmanuel Caduyac said the preventive spraying aims to contain the spread of the sap-sucking pest and protect unaffected plantations from infestation.
“We will be coordinating with the local government units down to the barangay level and the farmers to help us in the spraying as the PAO does not have enough manpower to do this,” Caduyac told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday.
“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.”
Based on the latest report of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), some 17,125 hectares of the province’s 48,901.43 hectares planted with sugarcane have been affected by RSSI.
Of the total affected area, around 1,900 hectares have already been validated, with the SRA continuing its assessment.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) on Monday approved the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to place Negros Oriental under a state of calamity due to the continuing spread of RSSI
Caduyac said the declaration will allow the provincial government to immediately procure chemicals and equipment, including backpack sprayers, for distribution to LGUs once the resolution is released later this week.
The declaration also authorizes the PDRRM Office to tap its quick response fund (QRF), with an initial PHP15 million earmarked for the anti-RSSI campaign.
Caduyac said chemical spraying is just the initial step in containing the infestation, while the provincial Task Force RSSI will explore more sustainable measures to eradicate the pest.
Among the long-term interventions being considered is the establishment of a bio-control laboratory to study the insect’s characteristics and develop biological control measures, including fungi culture. The proposed facility is estimated to cost around PHP1.4 million and may also be funded through the QRF.
Caduyac said the use of agricultural crop-dusting aircraft may not be feasible because many sugarcane plantations are located in mountainous areas, making aerial spraying risky.*PNA
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