The Department of Agriculture (DA), in coordination with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), will provide pesticide assistance to sugarcane farmers in the Negros region to combat the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, which threatens to cut sugar content by up to 50 percent.
In a weekend statement, the SRA said this intervention is part of emergency efforts pending the creation of an official pest control protocol. The move is considered a key component of agricultural support amid ongoing pest-related threats to sugar productivity, with potential economic impacts on both regional livelihoods and national sugar supply.
The National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños identified five insecticides as potentially effective against RSSI but emphasized that a second round of trials is needed before an emergency-use permit can be requested from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), as none are currently registered for use on sugarcane.
Despite this, the DA is proceeding with precautionary measures, including disinfection tankers in Negros and Iloilo, quarantine protocols on planting material transport, and collaboration with local governments in affected areas such as Silay, Saravia, Victorias, and Sagay.
SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona noted that these steps are critical to safeguarding not only sugarcane but other high-value crops. Industry stakeholders, including United Sugar Producers Federation president Manuel Lamata, urged swift action, warning of significant harm if the pest is not contained.
This support comes amid SRA’s revised sugar production forecast for crop-year 2024–2025, now at 1.837 million metric tons—higher than earlier estimates but still 4 percent lower than last year’s output.
Retail sugar prices in Metro Manila currently range from P64 to P90 per kilo, while millsite raw sugar prices have risen to P2,721.20 per 50-kg bag as of mid-May.
