Pests hit sugarcane farms in 6 cities, 4 towns in Negros Occidental

Workers load newly harvested sugarcane into a truck at Barangay Mabilog, Concepcion, Tarlac in this November 2011 file photo. (Picture by LYN RILLON)

BACOLOD CITY — A task force has been formed to address the pest infestation that hit sugarcane farms in six cities and four towns in northern Negros Occidental.

The group is headed by Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board Member David Andrew Sanson.

It intends to seek quarantine measures from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to stop the spread of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI).

These insects can reportedly cut the sugar content of sugarcane by almost 50 percent.

They were detected in sugarcane farms in the cities of Bago, La Carlota, Bacolod, Silay, Victorias, and Cadiz.

The insects were also spotted in the towns of Murcia, EB Magalona, Toboso, and La Castellana.

The data comes from SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.

Sanson said the task force will set up an Operation and Monitoring Center to document and report all RSSI and related issues around the country.

“Supporting the task force is not optional, as it is essential in ensuring the future of the sugarcane industry,” he said.

For his part, Azcona earlier appealed to sugar farmers to be “more vigilant” when they purchase their cane points.

He made the request as the infestation was suspected to have been brought to Negros Occidental from Luzon, where an RSSI infestation had been reported.

Sanson also asked farmers to “stop transporting planting materials from Luzon and other infected areas because it has been observed that the transmission of this disease came from infected cane points.”

The SRA has sought the help of the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna.

The center facilitated the research and found at least five insecticides that may be able to limit the infestation.

Randolph Candano of NCPC said that, based on their assessment, the pests can spread to ‘contiguous’ farms or farms that share common borders.

Candano said cane points must be treated with insecticides, especially if they are just piling up in the fields, as RSSI had been found to thrive under the heat.

He said protocol dictates that they conduct a second trial in different locations to further test the efficacy of the insecticides before they can seek an emergency-use permit from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority.

“These insecticides are not yet registered for sugarcane,” he pointed out.

Candano said, based on their study, Buprofezin, Dinotefuran, Phenthoate, Pymetrozine and Thiamethoxam have shown potential in curbing the spread of RSSI.

“However, this is not conclusive until we conduct a second field trial in a different location,” he noted.

Azcona said they will propose that the second trial will be conducted in Negros and that they will push for quarantine of canes from infected areas.

“We cannot afford to have an infestation as some farmers are already starting to plant their canes for the next crop year,” he explained.

“We made a good showing this year despite the challenges brought about by the long drought, and I hope we can maintain the momentum and even exceed our targets for next year if we will all help one another in containing this infestation,” he added.

Azcona warned that RSSI infestation does not just reduce the yield. It also increases production costs and can threaten the industry’s stability./apl/abc