The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said that the red-striped soft-scale insect (RSSI) infestation in Visayas has spread to 1,505 hectares of sugarcane plantations in four provinces as of June 18.
The agency said in a statement on Thursday the latest infestation statistics were higher by 11.5 percent than 1,350 hectares reported on June 13 in Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Capiz and Negros Oriental.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona urged the local government units in the affected areas to declare states of calamity to enable the DA to expedite procurement of pesticides for the sugarcane plantations. The DA and SRA have allocated P10 million for the emergency purchase of pesticides, Azcona said.
“We are also urging the local government units, especially in highly infested areas, to declare a state of calamity as this will help us in expediting the procurement of pesticides that can be immediately distributed to help abate this infestation,” Azcona said.
He appealed to all sugar groups and farmers to report the extent of infestation in their farmlands to the SRA, or through their Mill District Development Committees to equip the SRA with complete information in resolving the situation.
“The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved a P10 million-allocation for pesticide purchase but without the proper data, our hands are tied as well on how best to approach this situation and curb the spread of the RSSI,” Azcona added.
The RSSI is a sugarcane pest that can reduce sugar content by almost 50 percent. There are five known pesticides that have shown capability to kill the RSSI but the SRA needs to get emergency permits from the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority to use them against RSSI because they were not originally registered for stopping RSSI.
Azcona said that while the affected areas can still be considered just “a fraction of sugar cane fields,” the rapid spread has become “worrisome,” adding that complete data can paint a bigger problem. Azcona said that there may be farms that have resorted to their own remedies without reporting to the government.
On the brighter side, Azcona said owners of 97 hectares have contained the problems and have been recovering after applying the treatment, disinfection and quarantine protocols prescribed by the DA.
Notably, despite the RSSI spread, both the DA and the SRA are upbeat on the country’s local sugar production.
Earlier this week, DA said the Philippines may become capable of attaining sugar self-sufficiency in a few years if it could sustain this year’s production efficiency.
Tiu Laurel said that as of June 8, production output already stood at 2.015 million metric tons (MT), “with still a few weeks left of milling.”
The output as of June 8 was already 4.7 percent higher than the previous crop year’s production of 1.92 million MT.
DA said the increase in raw sugar production in the country has shown the sector’s potential to hit production demand of 2.3 million MT, “given the right conditions and sustained support for the industry.”
Based on the DA’s monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, prevailing retail prices as of Wednesday, June 18, ranged from P74 to P90 per kilogram for refined sugar, P68 to P85 per kg for washed sugar, and P65 to P90 per kg for brown sugar.
The SRA millsite monitoring also showed the composite price of raw sugar as of June 1 was at P2,712.55 per 50-kg bag, down by 0.09 percent from the week earlier at P2,715.06.
