Pest damage in Negros Occ. sugar farms reaches P350M
BACOLOD CITY — The red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation that has been wreaking havoc on sugarcane fields in Negros Occidental has caused damages that have reached P350 million.
This figure was expected to climb as the pest continues to spread, according to David Sanson, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member and Task Force RSSI head.
Sanson met with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Friday to discuss SRA’s urgent request for a declaration of a state of emergency in the province.
Sanson clarified the request for a state of emergency declaration is solely meant to expedite pesticide purchases using the allocated P15 million by the national government and is not meant to require the local governments to contribute to the expenditure.
Such a declaration would allow the SRA to immediately spend P5 million from its own funds and P10 million from the Department of Agriculture needed to purchase and distribute pesticides to farmers across Negros Occidental to curb the RSSI’s advance, Sanson said.
Without this declaration SRA’s procurement process for pesticides could take months, he explained.
While the RSSI infestation did not currently meet the land area criteria for a state of calamity declaration, they were exploring whether the substantial financial losses incurred could be a valid basis, Sanson said.
Lacson said he would refer the matter to the Provincial Legal Office to determine the legal grounds for declaring a state of calamity due to the RSSI’s impact on sugarcane plantations, a key industry in Negros Occidental.
