Calamity funds seen to ease sugar crop woes
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is fast-tracking the procurement of pesticides to contain the spread of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) after the local government of Negros Occidental placed the entire province under a state of calamity.
In a statement on Friday, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the agency will now utilize the P10 million assistance provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in June to support efforts in curbing the infestation.
“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 (NCPC) of UP (University of the Philippines, Los Baños),” Azcona said.
“This declaration will facilitate the immediate purchase of pesticides as well as the massive reproduction of fungus and other beneficial organisms that will be proven effective after field testing is completed,” said SRA board member David Andrew Sanson, who heads the SRA’s task force on controlling RSSI.
The five identified pesticides that can curb the spread of RSSI are buprofezin, dinotefuran, phenthoate, pymetrozine and thiamethoxam, based on the NCPC’s study.
Azcona said the DA’s financial aid can help farmers, especially the small ones, “start working on their fields and make sure that their canes can recover or are protected from RSSI.”
The provincial government of Negros Occidental issued Resolution No. 0771 declaring a state of calamity in the province due to Tropical Storm “Crising” (international name: Wipha) and the RSSI outbreak affecting sugarcane plantations.
“The simultaneous occurrence of both natural and biological calamities has caused massive agricultural losses, endangering food security, employment, and overall economic stability in the province,” the resolution read.
Aid fund partitioned
The local government unit said a portion of the calamity fund will be released to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the typhoon and pest disease, as well as boost rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Under the New Government Procurement Act, once such declaration is made, alternative modes of procurement are allowed to procure emergency works, gods or services necessary to respond to or quickly recover from disasters.
The provincial government said 21 LGUs were severely affected, comprising 184 barangays and 35,312 families, due to Crising. The typhoon also damaged agriculture, infrastructure and local economies.
The SRA said the RSSI infected 2,988 hectares of plantations in Negros Island as of July 17 from the initial 87.04 ha of affected land recorded by the SRA on May 22.
Azcona said he has instructed the concerned SRA personnel to reassess infested fields to determine whether the typhoon has reduced the presence of RSSI in sugarcane and to proceed with field testing of organic solutions, such as fungus, for long-term use.
Before this declaration, the SRA allocated P5 million for response efforts. However, it hit a snag with the pesticide procurement and declared one bid as failed.
