SRA to Conduct RSSI Prevention, Monitoring Training in Bacolod

In a concerted effort to mitigate the spread of the Red Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) in the highly affected Negros region, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will conduct a specialized training for local agriculturists, representatives from affected local government units (LGUs), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and other key stakeholders. The session will take place in Bacolod City on Monday, July 14. 

The training’s end-target result is to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills for early detection, prevention, and monitoring of RSSI infestations, thereby supporting efforts to control and ultimately eradicate the pest.

RSSI is still spreading but last week’s monitoring showed only a slight increase compared to previous weeks and SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said this may be due to high awareness of RSSI already and planters have started their own intervention. However, he added that SRA’s data is based on validated ocular inspections but the figure could still be higher as there are sugar farmers who are not reporting the presence of RSSI in their farms. 

RSSI infestations, according to studies, pose a significant threat to sugarcane productivity, potentially reducing the sugar content of infested canes by up to 50%. 

Bacolod City has been selected as the first location for the training due to the confirmed presence of RSSI across twenty (20) LGUs in Negros Occidental, as well as one (1) LGU in Negros Oriental. 

To be led by the SRA’s Research, Development, and Extension Department (RDE), this initiative is part of the agency’s immediate response to the RSSI infestation in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Negros Island Region, The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist in Negros Occidental, the Bureau of Plant and Industry, the Department of Agrarian Reform, The Food and Pesticide Authority and the Mill District Development Councils.