The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and Hawaiian-Philippine Company (HPCo) yesterday strengthened their collaboration to contain the sugarcane infestation in Negros Occidental using an organic solution.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona expressed support for HPCo’s biological control method aimed at suppressing red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI)—which can slash sugar content by nearly 50 percent—without disrupting the ecological balance.
“Through this partnership, we’re not just solving today’s pest problem — we’re laying the groundwork for sustainable farming practices that will benefit generations of sugarcane farmers in Negros and beyond,” Azcona said in a statement on Thursday.
Since June, HPCo’s technical team has been refining an organic treatment protocol tailored to various levels of RSSI infestation, in support of the SRA’s sustainability programs.
Following Israeli agricultural experts Yael Skutelsky and Nina Lehmann’s visit last month, HPCo designed a systematic protocol involving assessment, spraying, and monitoring.
“The aim is to lower the RSSI population to a threshold where natural predators can take over, HPCo Co-Gen Head and Regulatory Compliance Officer Rodeo Suating explained.
Suating, who leads the HPCo technical team, said their protocol focuses on disrupting pest growth and suppressing reproduction without harming beneficial insects.
The firm’s organic solution has a three-phase treatment cycle: initial assessment and targeted spraying, a follow-up evaluation with a potential second application, and final monitoring to confirm the resurgence of beneficial insects.
Trials were initially conducted in HPCo-managed cane fields, and are now being extended to neighboring plantations.
“Unlike conventional pesticides, which also eliminate beneficial insects, the HPCo protocol offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative,” the SRA pointed out.
According to the SRA, pest infestations are commonly found on field perimeters and near roadsides.
Symptoms can appear as early as two to three months after planting, and peak from the fourth to tenth month of cane growth.
These include yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and shortened internodes.
HPCo Chairman Paul Andrew Curran said the company is committed to implementing the program across its mill district.
Affected farms in Silay City and the municipality of Enrique B. Magalona will receive the first round of the organic solution for free.
Farmers will be responsible for on-ground implementation, such as field assessments, spraying, and de-trashing.
