The Negros Occidental mayors have agreed to implement a uniform approach in their fight against the red-striped soft scale insects that have been rapidly spreading and destroying sugarcane crops, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said on Thursday.
Escalante, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said they agreed that if the RSSI infestation is still at level 1 or moderate, enzymes that are also proposed by the province will be used.
The challenge is that there is very little supply available, he said.
If the damage is at level 2 or 3, or severe, they decided to use systemic chemicals to eradicate or lessen the RSSI population before enzymes are introduced, Escalante said.
In Cadiz City, they have already used the systemic chemicals and released regular funds for it.
Last week, Cadiz City declared a state of calamity and will use its Disaster Risk Reduction fund against RSSI, he said.
Escalante wants to invest in sprayers and drones for Cadiz City.
Cadiz City has adopted drones, power spraying, and manual spraying to eradicate the RSSI, he said.
The proposed massive aerial spraying was presented to the big planters and it is up to them if they want to adopt such method, Escalante said.
He said the owner of a farm in Cadiz that has been severely hit by RSSI was advised to cut down the cane and burn it.
Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Biosecurity Task Force mobile spraying of bio-control fungi to prevent the spread of RSSI in the sugarcane fields of Bago City and Murcia continued on Thursday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.*
[sibwp_form id=1]