FIELD SITUATION Sugarcane plantations in Negros Occidental province, like this in Binalbagan town, are ravaged by the red-striped soft-scale insects, with farmers ansd local officials reporting that the infestation has reached vegetable farms and cornfields. —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SUGAR REGULATORY ADMINISTRATION
BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has agreed to create a province-wide task force to prevent the spread of highly destructive red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI), which have now spread from sugarcane to other crops.
According to former Negros Occidental Governor Rafael Coscolluela, the new provincial body, once created, will “involve more than just the sugar industry because RSSI can and has affected other crops such as corn and vegetables.”
That is the major difference between the planned provincial task force and another one created by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) last year, he said.
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