SRA fast-tracks use of P10-M aid to pest infestation in province

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Friday vowed to expedite the use of PHP10 million worth of assistance to combat the red-striped soft-scale insect (RSSI) infestation affecting sugarcane plantations in Negros Occidental.

The move follows the provincial government’s declaration of a state of calamity due to the combined impact of Severe Tropical Storm Crising and the worsening pest outbreak.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona welcomed the declaration, praising the provincial council for recognizing the urgency of the situation.

“This declaration from the province will allow SRA to hasten procurement of pesticides as the first defense based on the research from the National Crop Protection Center of the University of the Philippines,” he said.

Earlier, Azcona ordered the La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center to conduct a second study on pesticides (Buprofezin, Dinotefuran, Phenthoate, Pymetrozine, and Thiamethoxam) to hasten its permit application with the Fertilizers and Pesticides Authority (FPA).

The Department of Agriculture has already approved the PHP10 million fund for pesticide procurement, pending FPA clearance.

“With this, we can finally begin deploying assistance to our farmers, especially smallholders, so they can resume fieldwork and ensure their crops either recover or remain protected from RSSI,” Azcona added.

He also ordered a reassessment of affected areas to determine whether recent storms have helped reduce pest populations and to initiate field trials using organic solutions, such as fungi, for long-term control.

Azcona, meanwhile, ordered the reassessment of infested areas to determine the effects of storms in helping reduce RSSI infestation, as well as the field testing of organic solutions, like fungus, for “long-term” use.

As of July 17, a total of 2,988 hectares of sugarcane plantation were reportedly infested in areas in the Negros Island Region, with 2,931 hectares of affected areas logged in Negros Occidental.* (Stephanie Sevillano/PNA)