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Gilbert Bayoran - The Philippine Star
June 6, 2026 | 12:00am
The SRA reported that Negros Occidental recorded the most damaged farms with 1,645 hectares followed by Negros Oriental with 75.80, Iloilo with 45.80 and Capiz with 22 hectares as of May 29.
Philstar.com / File photo
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Up to 1,788.9 hectares of sugarcane plantations in four provinces in the Visayas have been affected by infestation caused by the red-striped soft-scale insect, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
The SRA reported that Negros Occidental recorded the most damaged farms with 1,645 hectares followed by Negros Oriental with 75.80, Iloilo with 45.80 and Capiz with 22 hectares as of May 29.
The insect can reduce the sugar content of sugarcane by as much as 50 percent, the SRA said.
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations has urged the Department of Agriculture and the SRA to implement measures to stop the infestation from spreading.
Last year, around 3,700 hectares of sugarcane farms, particularly in Negros Occidental, were devoured by the pest.
The SRA has been involved in the mass production of entomopathogenic fungi, an organic solution found to be effective in preventing the spread of the insect.
SRA board member David Andrew Sanson said that continuous training on fungi reproduction and application is among the measures being undertaken by the agency to stop the infestation.
