BACOLOD CITY — A total of 16,019 hectares of sugarcane plantation across the Negros Island Region (NIR) have been under red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) attack, data from the Sugar Regulatory Administration show.
The data were presented by SRA during a stakeholders’ forum held at Nature’s Village Resort on Monday.
As of June 26, Negros Occidental has incurred the heaviest damage with 14,447.83 hectares of sugarcane infested with insect, affecting 5,435 farmers in 365 barangay (villages).
In Negros Oriental, 1,571.33 hectares are affected.
NIR has a total sugarcane plantation of 239,215.63 hectares.
About 76,632.03 hectares — or 32.03 percent — have been reported threatened, though not all areas have yet undergone full validation.
Across the wider Visayas region, the confirmed infestation reached 16,576.90 hectares:
– Negros Oriental: 1,571.33 hectares.
– Western Visayas: 409.68 hectares.
– Eastern Visayas: 148.07 hectares.
Authorities continue field validation and coordination to contain spread and reduce yield losses.
Data from the agency also showed that a total of 30,382 hectares of the 99,590 planted hectares of sugarcane lands in Central and North Negros Occidental have been infested by RSSI as of June 26.
A total of 2,534 validated sugarcane farmers are also affected across 233 barangay.
In South Negros Occidental, SRA reported that 30,860 hectares of the 90,723 hectares of planted sugarcane land have been affected.
A total of 2,901 farmers in the area from 132 villages have been validated to be affected by the RSSI infestation.
On the eastern side of Negros Island, a total of 15,367 hectares of the 48,901 sugarlands have been affected in Negros Oriental.
SRA also reported that a total of 590 sugarcane farmers from 58 barangay are affected in the Oriental side.
Kabankalan City is the most affected local government unit with 6,686 hectares of sugarland affected by RSSI. About 838 farmers in 23 barangay here are also affected.