Negros Occidental governor favors bio-control for sugarcane pest

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — The Negros Occidental Biosecurity Task Force launched mobile spraying operations using biocontrol fungi to prevent the spread of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in sugarcane fields of Bago City and Murcia town this week. The target farms for the team’s spraying belong to agrarian reform beneficiaries and local farmers who submitted monitoring forms and reported infestations through the task force’s official social media accounts, said provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz. He said the provincial government is delivering direct assistance and “smart solutions” to combat the outbreak of RSSI, an invasive, sap-sucking agricultural pest that primarily attacks and destroys sugarcane crops. READ: Pest attack in Negros sugar farms worsens This developed as planters pushed for aerial spraying to hasten the delivery of pest control measures across 250,000 hectares of sugarcane fields throughout the Negros Island Region. Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said he was leaving it up to the mayors to decide if they wanted to allocate funds for the proposed massive aerial spraying of pesticides against RSSI in their areas. “I said we (the provincial government) will not fund the proposal to use airplanes for aerial spraying, but that is not the same as saying we oppose it,” Lacson said. READ: Negros gov seeks ‘green’ solution to sugarcane pest “The contribution of the provincial government to the fight against RSSI will be biological control. If the SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration) says there is a need for massive aerial spraying, I will let the local government units, through their local chief executives, decide what is best for their communities,” Lacson added. Lacson noted that opinions are split on how to address the RSSI problem, with some groups calling for aerial spraying, while others agree with the direction of the provincial government. “The proponents of the massive aerial spraying can go ahead with their plans, provided the mayors … agree to it,” Lacson added. Production impact Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona of the SRA said last week that they respected the provincial government’s position to use biological control against RSSI, but warned that it would not be fast enough to stop the massive devastation of sugarcane fields. According to an SRA estimate, Negros Occidental is set to lose the sugarcane production of 33,000 ha of fields, equivalent to 150,000 metric tons of raw sugar, or about 8 percent of national output, if no immediate intervention is taken against the RSSI infestation. “Going with natural control is not quick and it is not cheap. My personal experience is that using biopesticides costs four to five times more than using off-the-shelf solutions and the control is not as fast. Our farmers may not have the capacity to cope,” Azcona said. Manuel Lamata, United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines president, has assured farmers and officials that aerial spraying of pesticides would be safe, fast and cost-efficient. Lamata said he welcomed Lacson’s announcement that he is leaving it to the mayors to decide whether they will support aerial spraying of pesticides in respective towns and cities. With this, Lamata urged the mayors to act swiftly for the sake of the sugar industry and local farmers. Lamata noted that Sagay City had begun chemical spraying using drones. Moises Padilla town and Talisay City have also expressed interest in the method. He said that while he supports biocontrol agents to fight RSSI as a long-term solution, urgent measures need to be undertaken now—with only three months left before the start of the milling season—to save the remaining standing sugarcane crops. /cb