The invasive red-striped soft-scale insect (RSSI) has already ravaged more than 79 hectares of sugarcane in Mabinay town, Negros Oriental, threatening the livelihoods of dozens of small farmers in three villages.
Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) chief Emmanuel Caduyac said on Wednesday, September 24, that the pest has so far affected the villages of Pantao, Pandanon, and Campanon-an, hitting 45 sugarcane farmers with infestations ranging from mild to severe.
Caduyac said the PAO is working closely with the province’s sugarcane industry to implement control measures and contain the spread of the pest. A recent meeting with local planters’ associations focused on strategies to prevent further damage.
To help farmers protect their mature crops, a sugar mill in Bais City will start milling in October, a month earlier than originally planned, to reduce losses caused by the infestation.
Authorities believe the RSSI was introduced to Mabinay a few months ago from neighboring towns in Negros Occidental, where it has already destroyed thousands of hectares of sugarcane farms.
RSSI damages crops by sucking sap from stems and leaves, weakening the plants, reducing sugar content, and sometimes causing entire fields to fail if infestations are severe.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is assisting the province by supplying chemicals and supporting spraying operations to curb the pest, the PAO official said.
Caduyac noted that severe infestations can destroy entire sugarcane farms, but crops facing mild to moderate infestations can survive if they are at least nine months old.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.