The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has strengthened its partnership with the Hawaiian-Philippine Company (HPCo) to tackle the Red Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), a pest threatening sugarcane production in Negros Occidental. The initiative uses organic and eco-friendly pest management methods to protect crops while maintaining ecological balance, reports Digicast Negros.
During a site visit on September 6, SRA Administrator and CEO Pablo Luis Azcona expressed full support for the program, which employs biological control to suppress RSSI populations without harming beneficial insects.
“This partnership goes beyond addressing the current pest problem. It lays the foundation for sustainable farming practices that will benefit sugarcane farmers in Negros and beyond,” Azcona said.
Rodeo Suating, HPCo Co-Gen Head and Regulatory Compliance Officer, explained that the protocol is designed to disrupt pest growth and reproduction while preserving beneficial insects vital to farm ecosystems.
HPCo Chairman Paul Andrew Curran said the company is committed to implementing the program throughout its mill district in coordination with local government units and planters’ associations.
