Nearly 190 hectares of Negros Occidental sugar farms have been affected by an insect infestation. Sugar Regulatory Administration handout.

MANILA — Nearly 190 hectares of sugar land in the Visayas have been affected by the spread of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona told reporters on Thursday 186 hectares in Negros Occidental have been hit by the infestation, affecting 115 farmers.

He said the insects were first seen in North Negros but spread to the south as sugarcane workers traveled for the harvest season, which he said has made containment difficult.

"But once harvest is over this month, it will be a lot easier to contain po."

Based on data from the SRA, Bago City is the hardest-hit in terms of area — with 59.84 hectares affecting 32 farmers.

In the municipality of Murcia, 43.62 hectares and 39 farmers are affected by the infestation. Third most affected is Victorias City with 27.05 hectares and 11 farmers.

Azcona said if the infection is severe, it may lower production by 50 percent. 

Azcona assured the public the SRA is working with the Department of Agriculture and the regional office to prevent the spread of RSSI.

"It's a team effort from everybody in the DA. Sa ngayon yung pag-control nun, you can control it with pesticides. At saka pag na-affect siya hindi siya ganun kabilis nag-sspread. Subalit malaki po yung sugar industry yung Negros and nasa 186 na po siya. That's not a big percentage of the area but ayaw natin po siyang lumawak," he said.

SRA earlier said it is monitoring six areas in northern Negros Occidental following reports of RSSI infestation in sugar farms.

It also created a task force led by SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson to control the infestation and seek quarantine measures from the DA.

Azcona called on sugar farmers to be 'more vigilant' in purchasing cane points, since the infestation is believed to have come from Luzon.

For his part, Sanson appealed to farmers to “stop transporting planting materials from Luzon and other infected areas because it has been observed that transmittal of this disease came from infected cane points.”

Research by the National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños found at least five insecticides that may be used to control the infestation.

"Continuing effort po kami, nag-eexperiment kami what are the most efficient and fastest way to spray the pesticides. Meron tayong commonly available pesticides na-try and it works. We also have farmers who tried older pesticides and sinu-suggest din. They've told us it controls very well. Looking on the brighter side pwede naman po siyang i-contain," Azcona said.

According to NCPC protocol, they will conduct a second trial in a different location to test the efficacy of the insecticides before they apply for an emergency use permit from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA).

In 2022, the SRA discovered an unidentified pest in Pampanga, which was later found to be RSSI. SRA said it was able to contain and control the infestation in the Pampanga and Tarlac areas.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they are still finalizing the sugar importation order.

"We will release it before the end of June, between mid to end of June para may dumating na sugar by July," he said.

Azcona said the country's sugar supply is enough and they have yet to decide on the importation volume. He made the assurance they will conduct public consultation.

"We're actually seeing na yung effort ng Marcos administration to improve the sugar production is finally paying off. Almost three years na po tayo, makikita naman po yung yearly production natin umakyat," the SRA official said.

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"Our farmers from Mindanao were asking us na patapusin muna sila. Kasi yung volume natin lumalaki, yung production natin lumalaki which is very good po... Lumalaki yung production natin in spite of the severe El Niño we experienced this year," he added.

Meantime, Azcona gave an update on the exportation of 66,000 metric tons (MT) of raw sugar to the United States.

"Yung export natin yung isang barko palabas na. I think final loading na sa Davao. Yung second ship is in Bacolod loading na... 33,000 something yung first. Yung sunod 32 [thousand]," he said.

"They both should arrive before July 9, yun yung habol natin. Kasi yun yung moratorium sa tariff," Azcona added.

Last March, the SRA issued Sugar Order No. 5 covering the shipment of 66,000 MT raw sugar to the United States, fulfilling the country's obligations under the U.S. Raw Sugar Tariff Rate Quota World Trade Allocation.