A pest outbreak has spread to 3,394 hectares of sugar plantations in the Visayas as of August 11, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), reports Business World.
The infestation, caused by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), had affected 3,264 hectares just 10 days earlier on August 1.
The SRA said that 1,923 farmers have been impacted by the pest, which can cut the sugar content of cane by up to 50%.
Authorities are still waiting for approval from the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority before procuring certain pesticides for sugar cane. This comes after Negros Occidental declared a state of calamity in mid-July due to the infestation.
Negros Occidental has reported the largest affected area at 3,290 hectares, followed by Iloilo with 59.69 hectares, Capiz with 25.1 hectares, Leyte with 12.17 hectares, and Negros Oriental with 7.6 hectares.
To contain the outbreak, SRA researchers are conducting field studies on the mass production of pathogenic fungi that could weaken the pests by reducing their ability to reproduce, said Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza.
