THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday ordered the mass production of a naturally occurring fungus that could stop the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) from infesting sugarcane farms.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has received claims that over 30 percent of sugarcane-planted areas in Negros Oriental and Occidental have been infested with RSSI, and 4,600 hectares verified.
Since its initial detection in the Philippines in 2022, RSSI has become one of the biggest biological threats to the sugar industry. By feeding on plant sap, RSSI weakens cane growth and encourages the development of sooty mold, which affects photosynthesis and reduces yield by up to 50 percent.
“I told [the] SRA to address the RSSI infestation head on. We have the technology and the capability to produce the biocontrol agent,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said at the observance of the agency’s 40th anniversary.
“We must have enough biocontrol agents to cover at least 75,000 hectares,” he added.
Tiu Laurel also suggested using the Bureau of Plant Industry’s laboratories and other DA facilities to speed up the production of biocontrol agents.
He likewise pledged additional funding to contain the infestation, particularly for increasing fungal production and creating artificial intelligence-based technologies for early pest detection and monitoring.
This would supplement the current P8-million funding the SRA had set aside for RSSI mitigation.
The SRA heads the interagency RSSI Task Force, which was formed in 2025. It has worked on various efforts to manage RSSI infestation and educate farmers on integrating RSSI control measures into their farming practices.
Industry sources have reported that, aside from Negros Island, RSSI infestation may have spread further to Iloilo, Capiz, Leyte and Mindanao. This raises concerns that the affected areas may expand further if left unchecked.
Current mitigation efforts point to a broader shift toward science-based and environmentally sustainable pest management as the government works to protect local sugar production, boost industry resilience and uphold the country’s long-term sugar self-sufficiency goals.
